Online tools available to help measure government accountability and performance
Government Management Accountability and Performance (GMAP) is a toolset used by Washington State agencies to help measure and improve their performance. GMAP also helps state agencies be accountable to citizens for the "quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the services Washington State government provides."

On the GMAP website, "how to" guides are published as resources for employees who are starting to use performance measurement principles within state agencies (click here to access the guides). One of the guides instructs users on how to create a dashboard, or scorecard, that can be used as a quick reference of summary information for leaders, managers, and other decision makers. Dashboards often serve as a reflection of current priorities. Many data elements, or measures, are collected and included in dashboards for easy reference and then ranked with a score or status. The selection of measures depends on who is using the dashboard and what they're using it for.

Northeast Washington Trends can be a helpful tool for local governments and non-profits wanting to create their own dashboard. Users can include measures from the Trends site for use in their dashboards, using data for the Tri-County region and the Washington State benchmark.

Compare Trends side by side with Compare feature
Have you ever wanted to compare two trends to see if there are similarities that exist between them? Northeast Washington Trends offers the ability to compare graphs side by side using the Compare feature, found underneath the indicator category menu on the left side of all Trends pages. Simply select the two indicators you'd like to compare (currently organized in numerical order by category). The graphs for each indicator will appear on the left and right sides of the page. To print your comparison, simply click the "Print" button at the top of the page. Comparing is best done by printing them in a horizontal format (landscape on your printing window).

County-specific data available for many trends
Did you know that county-specific data are available for many different trends that appear on the Northeast Washington Trends site? Just look for the County Data image that appears to the upper right side of the trend graph. When you click on one of the county links, you will be taken to a new graph showing county-level data for the same trend you started with. To get back to the Tri-County region view, just click on "Tri-County."

Northeast Washington experiences influx of new residents
In spite of experiencing nearly zero population growth between 2010 and 2011, the Tri-Counties actually had a positive net number of people moving to the area - 145 to be exact. These new residents contributed more to population growth than natural population increase (births over deaths) and made up for residents leaving the area. Trend 1.2 looks at the area's residual net migration as a share of total population for the last two decades. more...

Labor force participation rate below state, continues to decrease
Just over half, or 53.2%, of the people living in the Tri-County area over age 16 are employed or actively seeking employment. This figure, referred to as the labor force participation rate, has been steadily decreasing over the last fifteen years for both the Tri-County region and the state, though more so for Northeast Washington. Trend 2.8 measures the workforce capacity of the local economy. more...

Law enforcement support remains strong in Tri-County
Protection and safety for citizens are fundamental functions of law enforcement, and by extension, local governments. From crime prevention and education to criminal investigations to traffic patrols - local law enforcement helps to maintain a safe and orderly community for the citizens of Northeast Washington. One measure of a local government's ability to provide a safe community for all is its ability to fund law enforcement. Trend 7.13 measures law enforcement expenditures by local governments within Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille Counties. As the average for all three counties show, per capita spending is much lower than the state average. But spending per $1,000 of total personal income, often a better measure of a community's ability, or willingness, to pay for services, is right in line with the state. more...

Interview with Sheila Stalp, Northern Deputy District Director for Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers' Congressional office in Colville
Sheila Stalp is the Northern Deputy District Director for Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers' Congressional office in Colville. Responsible for Stevens, Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Okanogan Counties, and a resident of Colville for 40 years, Sheila is well-connected to the Tri-County region. Additionally, Sheila is a supporter of the Northeast Washington Trends site and was involved in its creation. We asked Sheila about how she uses trends-based data, and why she thinks it is an important resource for the Tri-County community. more...

Providence Mt. Carmel Hospital
Providence Healthcare Stevens County has three facilities and services available to the citizens of the Tri-County area. Providence Healthcare operates Providence Mount Carmel Hospital in Colville, Providence St. Joseph Hospital and Nursing Home in Chewelah, and Dominicare Home Services based in Chewelah. These healthcare services are available to the community as a result of the founding Dominican Sisters and current sponsors The Sisters of Providence (Providence Health and Services). We are extremely proud to bring vital quality healthcare services to meet the community need.

The process we use to determine community health needs and developing strategic responses relies on data broader than just the data we collect caring for the patients. It also needs data on social economic, employment, public health, and other needs in the community. The Northeast Washington Trends Website provides invaluable information to understand our community and the many needs we face. It provides reliable validated data which is vital to good decision making. Providence Healthcare of Stevens County is proud to sponsor the Trends website.

Colville Chamber of Commerce
The Colville Chamber of Commerce has a mission of providing leadership to stimulate, promote and support economic vitality, tourism, communication, education and community pride in the Greater Colville, Washington area. The Chamber holds meetings every Tuesday at noon and provides a forum for businesses, non-profits and individuals to share their ideas with the entire community. The Chamber organizes informational seminars and programs to assist local businesses. The most recent of these was on densified biomass and the possibility of converting large businesses' heating systems to burning these fuels. The news and event filled Chamber Weekly is emailed to approximately 800 individuals each Monday morning. The website at www.colville.com along with the community Facebook page at Colville, WA keep the lines of communication open.

The Colville Chamber worked in 2011 to draw more tourists to the area. By joining the Spokane Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Washington Tourism Alliance, we have been able to partner with their promotions and stretch our funding. The Chamber recently participated with the Spokane CVB and eight other destinations on a program for Tour Bus Operators. We would like to be a destination on the way through Washington and have them sleep in our hotels and eat in our restaurants. We are planning on doing more of this type of promotion in 2012 to encourage more visitors.