On March 28, 2019, the Mountrail County Job Development Authority (JDA) executed an agreement with Souris Basin Planning Council (SBPC) to develop a new strategic plan to continue improving its impact on Mountrail County. The planning process was scheduled to begin Fall 2019. The JDA Board of Directors established a Steering Committee to serve as the driver of the planning initiative and to provide recommendations to the Board of Directors.

The Steering Committee and SBPC met and held many phone discussions to understand key issues and worked to develop goals and strategies. A SWOT Analysis and community survey was conducted to gain information from community members to identify what priorities the JDA should focus on. The goal of the strategic planning process was to give citizens, entrepreneurs, stakeholders, and elected officials a voice in the growth and renewal of the Mountrail County JDA, along with a usable support tool for the JDA Board of Directors to have a unified vision for future decision making and program design.

Throughout the planning process, it was clear that a more focused set of goals should be established for immediate, 1-year and 3-year goals, with a plan to re-evaluate and strategize again in 2022.

At the end of the planning process, a document was set forth with a community-wide vision for the JDA and provided a series of recommendations, in the form of goals and strategies to achieve that vision. The plan grew out of the JDA’s collective desire to work together for a stronger, more resilient Mountrail County economy. The document was built upon a foundation of public and private participation and community outreach.