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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-002-11~Iarington Leading the Way REPORT CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER Meeting: GPA Date: January 24,2011 Report #: CAO-002-11 Resolution#: ~~ ~~y9-1/ File: By-lavv#: NIA Subject• MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON -STRATEGIC PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. That Report CAO-002-11 be received; and 2. That Council endorse the Strategic Planning Process as provided for in Report CAO- 002-11. Submitted by:~~ ~ ~~`'~ Franklin Wu Chief Administrative Officer CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T (905)623-3379 F (905)623-0720 REPORT NO.: CAO-002-11 PAGE 2 REPORT: What is Strategic Planning? Strategic planning is essentially the process of determining a municipality's long term vision and goals, which lay the foundation for the development of an action plan to implement these goals. 2. Why do a Strategic Plan? There are many reasons for developing such a Plan. The reasons that are more relevant to local government include: a) Developing a collective vision -particularly critical as we expect Clarington to continue to grow b) Planning for the Future -our future will involve changes and a strategic planning process can identify both the internal and external forces influencing changes c) Maximizing resources - as a management tool, a strategic plan provides a useful framework to enable effective resource deployment d) Establishing a framework for other plans -the Strategic plan will be the umbrella document that guides the development of other plans such as the Official Plan, community plans, capital work plan, departmental master plan, etc. e) Communicating priorities -citizens benefit from understanding the municipality's priorities and decisions as articulated through its vision and goals 3. What was the past experience of Strategic Planning in Clarington? a) The first Strategic/Business Plan for Clarington was initiated and completed shortly after the new Council was elected in 2001. Subsequent Plans were developed coinciding with every new term of council in 2004 and in 2007. b) In the development of each of the past three strategidBusiness plans, the planning process as well as the facilitation was led by the CAO. The process was entirely internal and the Plan was jointly developed by Council members and senior management staff. 4. What are the basic steps involved in developing a new Strategic Plan for the Municipality? The following six step process is generally used by local government in the planning process involved in the development of a Municipal Strategic Plan. The process is streamlined with emphasis on producing the Plan in a relatively short time frame. The six steps are: Step 1 Obtain input from citizens Step 2 Develop a vision and a mission statement REPORT NO.: CAO-002-11 PAGE 3 Step 3 Develop strategic goals and objectives Step 4 Develop strategic initiatives Step 5 Develop an action plan to implement the strategic initiatives Step 6 Develop a follow up system to track and/or measure performance 5. Who would be involved in the development of the strategic planning exercise, and what is the time frame related to each step? Step 1 -Obtain Input from the Citizens This involves seeking input from the citizens. A public opinion survey company will be engaged to develop a series of questions, and to seek the views and opinions from these external stakeholders. The results will be analyzed and will serve as valuable information prior to the commencement of the next step. This is a critical step, without which the subsequent works on the strategic plan could run the risk of a total or partial disconnect with the views of the citizens. Estimated timeline: Completion by early March Steps 2 - 4 All members of council, CAO and department heads will devote at least one full day brainstorming session to develop the Strategic Plan. The session will be facilitated by an external facilitator who will also be charged with the responsibility of gathering, synthesizing the information developed through the brainstorming session and to develop the mission statement, goals and strategic initiatives. Estimated timeline: Session is scheduled for March 10th, 2011 at the Courtice Community Complex. The draft Strategic Plan will be completed within four (4) weeks of the session. Steps 5 - 6 The same facilitator will lead the department heads to draft an Action Plan in order to implement the proposed strategic initiatives. This involves a one day session to be held on April 13, 2011. Estimated timeline: The Strategic Plan and accompanying Action Plan will be submitted to Council by end of April, 2011. REPORT NO.: CAO-002-11 PAGE 4 6. What is the cost of developing the Strategic Plan? The cost of the citizen survey, facilitation and completion of the Plan will be approximately $15-20,000. As this is a one-time cost, funds will be drawn from the Professional Fee Reserve Account and therefore would not affect the annual operating budget. Conclusion The CAO will coordinate the works of all those involved and ensure that the Strategic Plan will be completed in a timely fashion.