Governance Advisory
County Growth Risk & Zoning Governance Advisory
Counties don’t fail because leaders lack good intentions. They fail when institutions built for stability are forced
to absorb rapid change. This advisory helps county leadership manage growth pressure without triggering political
backlash, process breakdown, or institutional drift.
What this is
- Governance advisory for elected officials and senior staff.
- Diagnostic-first: clarify readiness and risk before you spend political capital.
- Sequencing and guardrails: pilots, modular change, and institutional learning.
What this is not
- Not a comprehensive plan rewrite.
- Not ordinance drafting as legal counsel.
- Not engineering or infrastructure design.
This work is advisory-only. Counties retain counsel and professional staff for implementation.
Engagement options
Most counties should start with Tier I. It creates clarity before you commit to action.
Tier I
County Growth Risk Diagnostic (4–6 weeks)
A structured assessment to identify what is politically survivable, institutionally feasible, and what sequence of
action lowers risk instead of multiplying it.
Readiness Scorecard
- Growth pressure symptoms
- Institutional capacity constraints
- Political risk concentration
- Process choke points and failure modes
Risk Memo + Options
- What not to touch first
- Low-blast-radius moves
- Pilot candidates
- Sequencing rationale and decision points
How Tier I works
- Intake: short call + document request (hot issues, code sections, workflows).
- Review: governance and process review (not a technical planning audit).
- Briefing: leadership briefing with decision options and risk implications.
- Next step: pilot design (Tier II) or continuity support (Tier III).
Tier II
Pilot Reform Design Support
Comprehensive rewrites concentrate risk and invite a single public showdown. Tier II breaks reform into modular
pilots that are defensible, measurable, and easier to adjust. This engagement provides sequencing, governance
guardrails, and communication discipline while counsel and staff execute implementation.
Pilot Portfolio
- 2–6 pilot modules selected for low blast radius
- Clear objectives + success criteria per pilot
- Dependencies mapped (staff, counsel, process)
Sequencing + Political Cover
- Order of operations to reduce backlash
- Hearing/process strategy and escalation controls
- Message architecture and Q&A discipline
Common pilot targets
- Administrative process simplifications (reduce discretionary chaos)
- By-right allowances for bounded, low-impact use cases
- Overlay/corridor pilots tied to infrastructure reality
- Missing-middle or small-lot pilots in defined areas
- Accessory dwelling unit (ADU) pilots with guardrails
Tier III
Governance Advisory Retainer
Growth pressure is continuous. Tier III keeps leadership aligned, prevents backsliding, and protects sequencing
logic across election cycles, staff turnover, and public backlash.
Executive Briefings
- Monthly leadership call
- Hot-issue risk framing
- Sequencing and decision posture support
Written Advisory Memos
- Pre-hearing prep
- Q&A libraries and objection handling
- Institutional guardrails and “do not step on” zones
Best for
- Counties with sustained net migration and fast housing churn
- Jurisdictions where hearings are becoming weaponized
- Leadership teams navigating internal misalignment or turnover
Tier IV
Multi-County Growth Governance Consortium
Counties isolate themselves under growth pressure, which slows learning and increases political exposure.
A consortium provides benchmarking, shared learning, and practical decision support across similar jurisdictions.
Benchmarking
- Comparative diagnostics across jurisdictions
- Peer patterns: what fails vs what stabilizes
- Sequencing lessons learned and playbooks
Quarterly Clinics
- Closed-door governance clinics
- Issue framing and risk reduction
- Executive Q&A support
Consortium intake
- Curated membership (fit matters)
- Shared growth-belt dynamics
- Leaders who want disciplined learning and peer support
Which tier is right?
Start with Tier I if…
- You’re seeing growth conflict but don’t have a disciplined plan
- Hearings are escalating
- Staff capacity is stretched
- You want action without detonating trust
Move to Tier II/III/IV if…
- You have readiness clarity and need survivable execution
- You want pilots instead of a “big rewrite” showdown
- You need continuity across election cycles
- You want peer benchmarking and shared learning
Other services
These offerings are separate from the governance advisory tiers and can be used as supporting modules.
Service
Policy Research
Options memos, stakeholder mapping, and leadership briefings.
View Policy Research
Service
Strategic Communications
Message discipline and briefing prep for high-scrutiny environments.
View Communications
Next step
Start with a diagnostic conversation. If Tier I isn’t the right first move, you’ll know before you waste time.