From March 28 – 30, 2011 over 100 community leaders including

public officials and a cross section of stakeholders from the MACC Area

came together for a ground breaking Future Search

focused on 21st Century Governance in the Greater Holland/Zeeland area

MACC Geographic Area

!   We believe the Holland/Zeeland community is a very special place

!   We recognize the world has changed

!   We acknowledge that economic forces have impacted the effectiveness of our area business models and the way we must approach our future

!   Governments provide essential services

!   Business provides revenues that flow through government, non-profit and educational institutions

!   Cost of government services directly impacts economic competitiveness and quality of life

!   We must find ways to deliver essential government services at lower cost per capita

Future Search had 95 participants representing 10 stakeholder groups

23 Elected and Appointed Officials

18 Business Representatives

10 Education Leaders

11 Planning Commission and Utilities representatives

8 Public Safety/Public Health/ Transportation representatives

12 Non-Profit and Social Agencies Leaders

7 Authorities/Operating Entities/Parks Representatives

9 Citizens at Large

2 Youth Representatives

5 State Representatives

All working together…

Focused on a common goal…

Finding new ways for The Zeeland/Holland community…

to improve effectiveness and cost efficiency…

Of local governance…

FOCUS ON PAST �

FOCUS ON PRESENT �

FUTURE SCENARIOS�

COMMON GROUND �

COMMITMENT TO ACTION �

DAY 1 � DAY 2� DAY 2/3� DAY 3�

Participants moved about the room and

populated 4 timelines over 20 feet in length, displaying key events

from four perspectives. Each group then

synthesized the input and told the story of our

community!

Community stories from the timelines

reflected four perspectives:

Personal Global

Community Governance

The group generated a VERY large mind map

describing close to 100 external realities/trends shaping H/Z governance

in these areas:

‣ economic ‣ social ‣ environmental ‣ technical

Every participant then engaged in a multi-voting

exercise documenting major trends having the most significant impact

on Holland/Zeeland governance

Evaluating the Mind-Map to identify and connect major trends

Each stakeholder group was asked to discuss how major trends affect what

they do.

Stakeholder groups were then asked to present what they have done that they

are most proud of, and most sorry about?

Group presentations were brutally honest and began laying the groundwork for

what was to come…

‣ Partnerships�‣ Safe communities�‣ Framework for collaboration �‣ People taking risks, thinking outside the box �‣ Public/private partnerships �‣ Leadership support �‣ LGChem�‣ Macatawa Greenway �‣ MACC�‣ Quality of life�

‣ Jobs have left Michigan �‣ Young people are leaving �‣ complexity of gov’t �‣ Divisiveness �‣ Slow movement on big issues �‣ Not focused on future�‣ Have not embraced diversity �‣ Economic segregation in community�‣ Water sharing agreement �‣ Cleanliness of Lake Mac�

A sample of the output from all groups. Prouds and Sorries enable each

stakeholder group to acknowledge and take responsibility for their

actions

This was a time for mixed groups to reflect on their desired futures and dream about what Holland/Zeeland governance

could look like in the year 2035.

Creative presentations allowed for group fun, but everyone took the task seriously, describing bold, innovative ideas and an

inspiring new future for our area....

The large group challenge was to listen carefully and find the

common ground across all of the thought-provoking future

scenarios.

Common Ground is the starting point from which diverse stakeholders come

together and agree on shared action areas.

Groups formed around the 10 common ground themes and spent many hours working through the challenging task of

creating action statements around each

Participants knew they were representing their

community in this process, and that these action statements would

help shape our future.