Report to/Rapport au :
Council / Conseil
15 June 2007 / le 15 juin 2007
Submitted by/Soumis par : Mayor / Maire Larry O’Brien
and / et
Kent Kirkpatrick, City Manager/Directeur des
services municipaux
Contact
Person/Personne-ressource : Bob Hertzog, Chief Corporate Planning and
Performance Reporting Officer / Chef de la planification municipale et de
l’évaluation du rendement
Corporate Planning/Planification municipale
(613) 580-2424 x23971, Bob.Hertzog@ottawa.ca
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SUBJECT: |
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OBJET : |
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
1. That the 2007-2010 Draft City Strategic Directions report be received and tabled at the Council meeting of June 27, 2007 for consideration by Council sitting as Committee of the Whole on July 9, 2007 to receive public delegations and for discussion and approval as Council at the July City Council meeting;
2. That, upon
approval of the 2007-2010 Draft City Strategic Directions, City Council direct
staff to prepare a draft City Corporate Plan based on the approved City
Strategic Directions for subsequent discussion and approval by Council at its
meeting of September 26, 2007;
3. That, upon approval of the
2007-2010 Draft City Strategic Directions, City Council direct the Long-Range Financial
Plan Sub-committee to:
a) complete
the review of financial policies and propose financial policy directions
required to provide a framework for the development of the multi-year budget;
and
b) based
on the recommended financial policy directions, complete development of the
2008, 2009 and 2010 operating and capital budget directions, and
c) bring
the final recommendations on financial policies and the 2008-2010 operating and
capital budget directions to Corporate Services and Economic Development
Committee and City Council prior to the launch of the 2008 budget process this
Fall.
RECOMMANDATIONS DU
RAPPORT
1.
Que le projet de rapport sur les
orientations stratégiques de la Ville de 2007-2010 soit reçu et déposé à la
réunion du Conseil municipal le 27 juin 2007 afin qu’il l’examine en tant que
Comité plénier le 9 juillet 2007 alors qu’il recevra des délégations du public,
et qu’il en discute et l’approuve à sa réunion de juillet;
2.
Que,
sur approbation des orientations stratégiques préliminaires de la Ville de
2007-2010, le Conseil municipal enjoigne le personnel de préparer un projet de
plan directeur municipal fondé sur les orientations stratégiques de la Ville
approuvées aux fins de discussion ultérieure et d’approbation par le Conseil à
sa réunion du 26 septembre 2007.
3.
Que,
sur approbation des orientations stratégiques préliminaires de la Ville de
2007-2010, le Conseil municipal enjoigne le sous-comité du Plan financier à
long terme III :
a)
de
procéder à l’examen des politiques financières et de proposer des orientations
en matière de politiques financières requises en vue de fournir un cadre pour
l’élaboration d’un budget pluriannuel;
b)
d’élaborer
les orientations des budgets d’immobilisations et de fonctionnement de 2008,
2009 et 2010 en se fondant sur les orientations recommandées en matière de
politiques financières;
c)
de
présenter les recommandations finales sur les politiques financières et les les
orientations des budgets d’immobilisations et de fonctionnement de 2008, 2009
et 2010 au Comité des services organisationnels et du développement économique
et au Conseil municipal avant le début du processus budgétaire cet automne.
BACKGROUND
On July 11, 2006 City Council approved an Integrated Planning Framework (ACS2006-CMR-OCM-0006) which included a Council Strategic Planning Session in order to achieve:
§ Increased transparency in decision making;
§ Longer-term forecasts and thinking; and
§ Clearer priorities linked to financial strategies.
Between April 23, 2007 and June 14 2007, members of Council – working in large and small groups – received and discussed detailed information about the City’s financial situation, the opinions of citizens and employees, and the city’s future. Over the course of 17 sessions, members of Council – in open sessions – deliberated on the priorities for the City. This report summarizes those discussions and presents a proposed series of priorities for the City for the next three years. Each priority is accompanied by a number of more specific objectives.
Nearly every major municipality in Canada prepares a strategic plan; Ottawa is not unique in this aspect. What is relatively unique is the Council-established process that Ottawa has used. Seldom does the elected leadership of a municipality work as a team in an open process to develop strategic directions. Initial feedback suggests that the process used by Ottawa has resulted in a productive dialogue leading to a commonly held vision for what needs to be achieved over the next three years. This type of result is clearly part of the foundation of excellence in any organization. Both private and public sector models of excellence require the development of a set of strategic goals like these.
DISCUSSION
These draft priorities and objectives have been developed taking into account public input obtained through a statistically valid survey of over 1000 respondents, public focus groups, and some 3000 on-line questionnaire responses. This draft will now be available on-line and at main City facilities so that the public can review it and provide their comments.
Once approved, these priorities and objectives will form the basis of the City’s Corporate Plan. Over the months of July and August, City staff will work to put the priorities and objectives into a structured strategic plan which will include - for Council’s review - specific, costed and time-bounded actions that the City would undertake in the upcoming years in order to move forward on the directions established by Council.
As part of this exercise, it is recommended that the Long-Range Financial Plan Sub-Committee be asked to complete the financial sustainability-related work that was begun as part of the Strategic Directions exercise. Specifically, it is recommended the LRFP Committee:
These actions, plus the financial framework decisions made by Council, will form the basis for the budget presented to Council in the Fall. Because of the strategic direction that Council has provided for the remainder of its mandate, a multi-year budget will be achievable. While an annual review of the multi-year budget will be required, budget processes in future years should be greatly simplified.
In addition, by establishing clear strategic priorities and objectives, Council has put in place a foundation which will allow the City to begin implementing an outcome-based management and budget approach. In turn, such an approach will allow Council to be increasingly effective in managing the strategic direction of the City.
CONSULTATION
The proposed strategic directions attached, have been based on existing plans (such as Ottawa 20/20 or the 2006-2009 City Corporate Plan) which themselves were the result of significant public consultation. They are also based on the results of significant public consultation exercises like the 2007 Decima Citizen Satisfaction Survey, public focus groups and on-line citizen and staff comments. These proposed strategic directions will now be available on-line and at main City facilities for the public review. Interested members of the public will be able to make presentations to Committee of the Whole on July 9, 2007. The City Strategic Directions document will be used to develop a draft City Corporate Plan, which will be subject to extensive public consultation in the Fall.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
This report suggests a series of priorities and objectives for which specific, costed actions will be proposed as part of the City Corporate Plan. When the City Corporate Plan is presented in the Fall, City Council will be asked to approve in principle the actions listed in it subject to future budget approvals.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document
1 – 2007- 2010 Draft City Strategic Directions
DISPOSITION
Following the tabling of this report on June 27, 2007, the 2007-2010 Draft City Strategic Directions will be presented to the Committee of the Whole on July 9, 2007, and considered for approval by Council on July 11, 2007.