Before 2022, Rutherford County will have:

• Supportive growth and development of our existing businesses and will have competitive economic development programs that attract quality businesses, improve productivity, and provide opportunities for all residents.
• Stimulating education and training for all county residents integrated with economic opportunities and cultural values.
• A coordinated countywide system of activities and services to enhance the physical, mental, emotional, creative and spiritual quality of life of all residents.
• Comprehensive infrastructure that will improve transportation, water, sewer, housing, telecommunications and the environment in a way that is supported by the people of Rutherford County.
• Governments that will be unified while serving the best interests and needs of its citizens.
• Creative and committed private sector leadership that achieves Realize Rutherford.
  

1. Henry Luke was hired in April 2002 to facilitate the Visioning Process for Rutherford County. Funding was provided by seven Founding Partners including: Stonecutter Foundation, Building Community, Inc., Committee of 100, Economic Development Commission, Rutherford Hospital, Chamber of Commerce, and Isothermal Community College.
2. A diverse 35-person Steering Committee representative of the community was selected to guide the process in May 2002
3. Henry Luke interviewed 140 individuals on May 22-24, 2002.
4. Over 400 people attended the Community Meeting July 11, 2002. Thirteen groups identified 357 unique issues for consideration by the Vision Task Force. The issues were summarized and ranked by the groups, then combined to produce the top ten priority issues. The top ten issues were in order: economic development, education, quality of life, infrastructure, government, growth management, health and medical services, housing, youth issues, and land use planning. The participants also selected 21 additional members for the Vision Task Force.
5. The Steering Committee selected a diverse Vision Task Force from all sectors and geographic areas of Rutherford County from persons nominated by the Steering Committee, Focus Group Interviewees, and the 21 individuals selected at the Community Meeting.
6. The 165-member Vision Task Force met during July and August 2002 and distilled the 357 Focus Groups and Community Meeting issues into 117 strategies contained in the Draft Strategic Plan. They reached a consensus on the Draft Strategic Plan document and it was distributed on August 26, 2002.
7. Over eighty organizations and 2900 individuals throughout the community were presented with the Draft document for review and comment during September and October 2002. “The Daily Courier” distributed 16,000 copies of the draft, and 11,000 copies of an overview sheet were sent home with all elementary student and 7,000 were distributed through utility bills.
8. On October 28, 2002, a second Community Meeting was held and 200 residents came and provided their final input and comments for the Draft document.
9. The Steering Committee approved the final Vision document and print copies were distributed in November 2002.
   
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1. The Realize Rutherford Steering Committee will continue to be diverse and community-based to provide leadership during the implementation process.
2. Private and public sector organizations of all kinds and individuals will be asked to endorse the Vision document and become Vision Partners. (November 2002-October 2007)
3. Vision Partners who endorse the Vision will be asked to identify those Strategies they can incorporate and effectively implement within their normal mission, purpose and scope of operations or in Strategic Action Teams with other organizations. Each Vision Partner or Strategic Action Team will establish Strategy Benchmarks to facilitate annual measurement of progress and develop Action Steps for the specific Strategies they adopt. The Steering Committee and Benchmark Team will approve all Strategy Benchmarks before their adoption as official Realize Rutherford Benchmarks. (November 2002-October 2007)
4. Strategy identification and acceptance by Vision Partners will be reviewed by the Steering Committee to ensure that the Priority Strategies have been covered within the time frames for effective implementation. Progress on every Strategy cannot begin immediately, but will be phased in over a 5 to 10 year period as applicable.
5. Progress on Strategies will be communicated on a regular basis.
6. There will be an annual Community Meeting to update the Critical Benchmarks and the Strategy Benchmarks measuring progress for each strategy adopted by Vision Partners and Strategic Action Teams.
7. The leadership of the Implementation Process will continue to be diverse and community-based with management support and coordination provided by the staff for at least a five-year period.
   
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