HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Agenda - 2019-04-01 SCHRISTINE TARLING
Directorof Legislated Services& City Clerk
Corporate Services Department
nd
Kitchener City Hall, 2 Floor
200 King Street West, P.O. Box 1118
Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7
Phone: 519-741-2200 x 7809 Fax: 519-741-2705
Christine.tarling@kitchener.ca
March 29, 2019
Mayor B. Vrbanovic and Members of Council
Re: Special Council Meeting Monday, April 1, 2019
Notice is hereby given that Mayor B. Vrbanovic has called a special meeting of City
Council to be held in the Conestoga Room on Monday, April 1, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. to
consider the following:
1. Strategic Session
a. Compass Kitchener Advisory Committee Work Program K. Cooper
(10 mins)
-19-004 is attached.
b. Compass Kitchener 2015-2018 Strategic Plan Evaluation K. Cooper
(45 mins)
-19-005 is attached.
c. Council Review of Draft 2019-2022 Strategic Plan Goals and Actions
K. Cooper
(60 mins)
-19-006 is attached.
Recess and Re-convene
The meeting will then recess and reconvene in the Council Chambers at approximately 3:30
p.m.
2. FIN-19-029 2019 Development Charges Priorities & Rate Options
(approximately 3:30 p.m.)
Attached is Financial Services Department report FIN-19-029 (R. Hagey), dated March 6,
2019.
3. In-camera Meeting Authorization
Council is asked to enact the following resolution to authorize an in-camera meeting:
"That an in-camera meeting of City Council be held immediately following this special
meeting to consider two matter subject to solicitor-client privilege, one of which is also
a land acquisition/disposition matter, and a matter related to city owned
comme
Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you
require assistance to take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or
TTY 1-866-969-9994.
CHRISTINE TARLING
Directorof Legislated Services& City Clerk
Corporate Services Department
nd
Kitchener City Hall, 2 Floor
200 King Street West, P.O. Box 1118
Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7
Phone: 519-741-2200 x 7809 Fax: 519-741-2705
Christine.tarling@kitchener.ca
Yours truly,
C. Tarling
Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk
c: Corporate Leadership Team
J. Bunn
D. Saunderson
J. Rodrigues
Records
Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you
require assistance to take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or
TTY 1-866-969-9994.
REPORT TO:Council
DATE OF MEETING:April 1, 2019
SUBMITTED BY:Kathryn Dever,Director,Strategy & Corporate Performance,
519 741-2200 ext. 7370
PREPARED BY:Karen Cooper, Manager, Strategic & Business Planning,
519 741-2200 ext. 7817
WARD (S) INVOLVED:All
DATE OF REPORT:March 25,2019
REPORT NO.:CAO-19-004
SUBJECT:Compass Kitchener Advisory Committee Work Program
___________________________________________________________________________
FOR DISCUSSION
BACKGROUND:
Council Policy GOV-BOA-077(Compass Kitchener Terms of Reference)identifies the goals,
objectives and responsibilities of the Compass Kitchener Citizen Advisory Committee. In
summary, responsibilities include:
Designing and implementing public engagement processes in collaboration with staff to
community priorities before each municipal election.
Reporting to Council on critical community priorities to assist in the establishment of,and
updating of,C
Developing evaluation criteria in collaboration with staff
priorities
Plan for the Cityof Kitchener.
Reporting on performance to Council and the Community on an annual (Report Card)
basis.
Ensuring communication and collaboration among Advisory Committees of Council by
convening two yearly meetings, one for Chairs and Vice Chairs and the second for all
Developing a yearly workplan and submitting it to Council for feedback.
REPORT:
Compass Kitchener has requested that its2019Work Plan be submitted to Council for feedback.
TheCompass Kitchener2019 Work Programisincluded asAttachment 1 to this report. Priorities
include:
***This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994for assistance.
1.a. - 1
2015-2018 Strategic Plan;
Development of evaluation criteria for the upcoming 2019-2022 Strategic Planto be
completed jointly with city staff;
Communication/Collaboration among Advisory Committees continue to build
st
Judy Stephens-Wells, Chair of Compass Kitchener, willbe in attendance at the April 1Council
meeting and is available to discuss the work program with Council.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the C.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM
council / committee meeting.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, CAO
Appendix A:Compass Kitchener 2019Work Plan
1.a. - 2
Appendix A:COMPASS KITCHENER2019 WORK PLAN
Compass Kitchener gains community input and participation in order to provideadvice to Council on
strategic plan. The Committee
reportsdirectly to Counciland developsa yearly workplan to submit to Council for feedback.
ResponsibilityItemCompass Kitchener
Meeting Dates
Administration
1.OrientationJanuary 9, 2019
Comply with City policies for Committees
2.Conflict of InterestJanuary 9, 2019
3.Code of ConductJanuary 9, 2019
4.Chair & Vice Chair TrainingFebruary12, 2019
Work Plan
February 19, 2019
1.2019 Work Plan
Develop a yearly workplan and submitit to November 6, 2019
2.2020 Work Plan
Council for feedbackDecember 4, 2019
Advisory Committee Collaboration
1.All Advisory Committees MeetingJanuary 9, 2019
a)Follow up onevaluation ideasreceived atJanuary 24, 2019
Bring Advisory Committees of Council together
January 24 MeetingFebruary 19, 2019
on a regular basis to share information and
identify opportunities for collaboration.
2.Advisory Committee Chairs +Vice Chairs MeetingSeptember 4, 2019
a)Select a date, location & agendaOctober 2, 2019
b)Facilitate/record discussion(Oct/Nov Chair
c)Follow-up on Action ItemsMeeting TBD)
Citizen Report Card
1.2018 Citizen Report CardsJanuary 9, 2019
Determine evaluation criteria for use in
a)2018 Year endFebruary 19, 2019
measuring Council implementation of strategic
b)2015-2018 Term endMarch 6, 2019
priorities
Establish a reporting tool(s) to monitor progress
on implementing changes in collaboration with
2.2019-2022 Evaluation Approach for New StrategicApril, 3, 2019
staff.
PlanMay1, 2019
June 5, 2019
Monitor and evaluate progress against
achievement of strategic priorities.
3.2019 Citizen Report CardDecember 4, 2019
Report on progress made toward achieving
strategic prioritiesto Council and the community
on an annual (Report Card) basis.
Strategic Plan
1.2019-2022 Strategic PlanApril 3, 2019
Provideadvice on strategic plan preparation
a)Provide input and feedback on draft planMay 1, 2019
1.a. - 3
REPORT TO:Council
DATE OF MEETING:April 1, 2019
SUBMITTED BY:Kathryn Dever,Director,Strategy & Corporate Performance,
519 741-2200 ext. 7370
PREPARED BY:Karen Cooper, Manager, Strategic & Business Planning,
519 741-2200 ext. 7817
WARD (S) INVOLVED:All
DATE OF REPORT:March 26,2019
REPORT NO.:CAO-19-005
SUBJECT:Compass Kitchener 2015-2018 Strategic Plan Evaluation
___________________________________________________________________________
REOMMENDATION:
ForDiscussion
BACKGROUND:
Council Policy GOV-BOA-077(Compass Kitchener Terms of Reference)identifies the goals,
objectives and responsibilities of the Compass Kitchener Citizen Advisory Committee.In
summary, responsibilities related to reporting to Council on implementation of the strategic plan
include:
Developing evaluation criteria in collaboration with staff
priorities
for the City of Kitchener.
Reporting on performance to Council and the Community on an annual (Report Card) basis.
REPORT:
Compass Kitchener has requested that its2015-2018 Strategic PlanEvaluation report be
submitted to Council for discussion.The evaluationisincluded asAppendix Ato this report.
st
Judy Stephens-Wells,Chair of Compass Kitchener,will be in attendance at the April 1Council
meeting and wishesto make a presentation summarizing:
progress in implementing the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan,
Feedback from the All Advisory Committees meeting regarding developing evaluation
criteria for the upcoming 2019-2022 Strategic Plan, and
Recommendations on business plan projects to undertake in transitioning from the 2015-
2018 Strategic Plan to the new Strategic Plannow under development.
***This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994for assistance.
1.b. - 1
Compass Kitchener is submitting an evaluation report as a result of undertaking a
comprehensive review of annual business plans from 2015 to 2018.Compass Kitchener makes
12 recommendations in its evaluation report and staff are pleased to report that all have
addressed or will be addressed as indicated in the following table.
Compass Kitchener Recommendations and Status of Staff Response
Compass Kitchener RecommendationsStaff Response
1.Ensure that Strategic Plan guides the development of the The new Strategic Plan will have specific and measurable
Business Plans and City budgets actions. Approval of the new Strategic Plan in June 2019 will
guide the 2020 Budget and 2020 Business Plan and each
subsequent year.
2.Ensure allocation of sufficient resources for project planning and Staff are working on project management framework to
project management initiatives to support staff in completing support staff in completing projects on time.
projects on time
3.Undertake fewer projects to ensure more projects are completedThe 2019 Business Plan has 75 projects and programs,
down from over a 100 items in previous years.
4.Consider smaller initiatives or series of initiatives, delivered in The 2019 Business Plan now contains several large projects
shorter periodsof time -framing an agile approach wherein the that are broken down into smaller parts to achieve
City delivers a concept, gets citizen feedback early on, and objectives over time ie. asset management plans, park
decides to proceed, revise plans, or cancel at an early stagedevelopment plans etc.
5.Place more emphasis on delivering strategic initiatives and Strategic Items are now highlighted in the 2019 Business
ensure strategic initiatives have the highest completion rate in Plans to help ensure they have the highest priority for
business planscompletion.
6.Balance the distribution of projects amongst the Strategic Plan's There are 5 draft goals balancedwith 5 draft actions for
goalseach goal proposed for public review as part of creating the
2019-2022 Strategic Plan
7.Consider the input from the public on what is important to them in Staff participated with Compass Kitchener in hosting the
evaluating and reporting on Strategic Plan implementation in January 24, 2019 consultation with representatives from all
developing an evaluation frameworkof the advisory committees on strategic plan evaluation.
Staff will be working with Compass Kitchener to develop an
evaluation framework.
8.Establish the expectation that, at the outset of planning projects, Staff have applied this expectation in developing the draft
specific measurable outcomes will be delineated for each goals and draft actions for the 2019-2022 Strategic plan.
initiative so that the success of a project can be assessed relative This will also apply to future business plan projects.
to those outcomes
9.Metrics need to be meaningful -time, budget, savings, and Staff will be working with Compass Kitchener to develop
impact on citizens. Develop a rubric and evaluate projects on meaningful metrics and a rubric as part of an evaluation
how well they contribute to the community and align with framework for the Strategic Plan.
10.Evaluate the impact of all projects, including cancelled/delayed Staff will be doing this as part of reporting on the Business
projectsPlans.
11.Be more celebratory when reporting on results and make results Staff are working on developing a Dashboard and will use
more accessible to the publicthrough an interactive Dashboardreporting on the status business plan recognize
achievements.
Citizen Dashboard
12.Following through from the previous Strategic Plan, completion
of the following projects should be included in Business Plans to Staff are working on developing anAODA compliant
Dashboard
1.b. - 2
complete the 2015 to 2018 Strategic Plan and implement the new
Strategic Plan
2019Business Planincludes:
Citizen Dashboard
Long-Term Financial Plan
Long-Term Financial Plan
Planning around ION stations
Urban Forestry Strategy and projects
Advocacy for Improved Commuter Service
Planning around ION stations
Municipal Response to Truth and Reconciliation Call to
Arts and Culture Strategy
Action
Climate Action Plan and Environmental projects
Creative Hub
DraftGoals and Actionsfor new Strategic Planinclude
Traffic Safety
Urban Forestry Strategy and projects
Cycling Master Plan
Arts and Culture Strategy
Initiatives to Increase Supply of Affordable Housing
Climate Action Plan and Environmental projects
Advocacy for Improved Commuter Service
Creative Hub
Municipal Response to Truth and Reconciliation Call to
Traffic Safety
Action
Cycling Master Plan
Affordable Housing Strategy
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM
council / committee meeting.
CONSULT --Compass Kitchener and staff undertook consultation with members from all City of
Kitchener Advisory Committees on January 24, 2019 seeking input on evaluating progress of
the trategic Plans.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, CAO
Appendix A:Compass Kitchener Evaluation of City Progress in Implementing the 2015-2018
Strategic Plan
1.b. - 3
Compass Kitchener Members
Judy Stephens-Wells, Chair
Euraysia Duhaime, Vice Chair
Lynne Gazzola
Lori Trumper
Lorie Fioze
Melissa Bowman
Adam Hammoud
Roberto Villamar
Omar Samad
March 26,2019
1
1.b. - 4
Executive Summary
Compass Kitchener has the mandate to evaluate the implementation of the City of Kitchener's Strategic
Plan. In previous years Compass Kitchener has
implementing the strategic plan. Given that we are at the end of the term of the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan
Compass Kitchener has taken a different approach to evaluation of progress relative to the Strategic Plan,
focused on the big picture regarding progress over four years.
Our evaluation focused on business plan initiatives from 2015 - 2018 and included a review of:
Overall Completion Results
Completion by Project Category
Project Completion by Strategic Plan Goals
Project Evaluation by Strategic Plan Goals
Past Approaches and Challenges
What People Want to Know about Strategic Plan Implementation
What People Think Makes a Good Evaluation Process
Our findings include:
Low Overall Completion: 225 projects were initiated of which 122 projects (54%) have been
completed between 2015 and 2018. An additional 20% of projects are expected to complete in
2019.
More Projects Planned Than Can Be Achieved: Given the low completion rate, it appeared to us
that too many projects were being attempted each year and projects were taking longer to
complete that originally planned. With so many projects included in the 2015-2018 business plans
we found we were unable to adequately address evaluation of each and every project, instead we
placed our focus on the big picture, spanning all four years. Numerous projects spanned multiple
years, leading us to wonder whether they were all sufficiently complex to require work over
multiple years, or whether this was a reflection of trying to do too many things simultaneously? If
fewer projects were initiated, Compass Kitchener expects completion rates would improve. Also,
allocating more resources to business plan projects would support completion of more initiatives.
Transformative Strategic Projects: All projects in the business plans are important. However, the
truly strategic transformative projects were not clearly identified. Staff recently developed criteria
to classify projects as Strategic Initiatives, Business Plan Projects and Ongoing Business Initiatives
and used those categories in developing the 2019 business plan.
Uneven Project Distribution Across Strategic Plan Goals: Much good work was accomplished
between 2015 and 2018, however the implementation of the strategic goals was not balanced
across the strategic goals. Of the 122 completed projects approximately half (60 projects) were
devoted to implementing one goal - Effective and Efficient Services. Most projects completed
under this goal, were inward facing and this goal seemed to serve as a bit of a catch all for internal
projects. Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods had 24 completed projects, Open Government had 16
completed projects, Strong and Resilient Economy had 15 completed projects and Sustainable
Environment and Infrastructure had 7 completed projects. Compass Kitchener believes that the
public would like to see a more balanced distribution and delivery of strategic projects across the
strategic goals.
Open Government Highlights: The amount of detailed information now available online regarding
Council Decisions and City Processes (OG14) is impressive. Participatory Budget pilot projects are
encouraging. Community Engagement work is very much in keeping with citizen desires. Lowlights:
We hoped to have seen more progress on the Municipal Response to the Truth and Reconciliation
2
1.b. - 5
Calls to Action (OG24) and one of the greatest disappointments regarding initiatives in the Open
Government sphere is the cancellation of the . While the City has made
decision making, the notion of a well-oard would provide a very accessible
point of entry into cascading tiers of increasingly detailed information.
Strong and Resilient Economy Highlights: Excellent work in developing, and beginning to
implement, Make it Kitchener strategies that form a firm foundation for economic development
moving forward, collaborating with others in establishing the Waterloo Region Economic
Development Corp. and carryin
downtown core. Lowlights: It is unfortunate, given the important roles that arts and culture play
in our community, that the development of a new Arts and Culture Strategy was cancelled. It is
important for this initiative to be reintroduced in upcoming plans.
Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods Highlights: It is exciting to see the progress that has been
made with the Neighbourhood Strategy and initiatives such as increased Neighbourhood Events,
Community Gardens and Development of Boulevard Beautification Guidelines - which enhance
-Active Traffic
Calming Design Features is important and will be greatly appreciated, helping to address traffic
safety issues that are a key priority for citizens. Lowlights: Area Plans for the PARTS Fairway
Station and Block Line Station Area Plans (NB32 & NB33) should not be delayed further as the
sooner these plans are in place, the sooner all the areas around the ION stations will evolve to fit
leading more people to take the ION, thereby reducing emissions
and traffic congestion.
Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure Highlights: Completion of the installation of the
LED streetlights (SE01) and on-going work in managing the Emerald Ash Borer (SE19) are
commendable. Lowlights: Too few projects were completed to advance this goal, despite
widespread public interest in Trail improvements, Cycling Master Plan, Climate Action Plan and
the Urban Forest projects that were planned but not completed in this period.
Effective and Efficient Services Highlights: The number of projects completed (60) in this area
over the past four years is impressive! Lowlights: The one project which we flagged as needing
attention in our last Report Card and which should be highlighted as important for completion in
2019 is the development of a Long-Term Financial Plan. It would be highly beneficial to have in
place as the City moves forward with all its planning and budget processes.
Co-ordinated Evaluation for New Strategic Plan For years Compass Kitchener has faced real
experience persuaded us that specific measurable outcomes delineated at the outset of planning
each initiative would have real value. Outcomes set from the beginning would both support
effective implementation of the initiative and provide a framework for objective evaluation of its
success. Poised now at the outset of a new Strategic Plan, Compass Kitchener is looking forward
to developing with staff an evaluation process based on this approach.
Recommendations:
In the course of discussions that took place as Compass Kitchener carried out this evaluation, the issue of
progress in one area of initiatives potentially having detrimental impacts on other aspects of strategic plan
implementation arose. As part of preparing the new Strategic Plan, we encourage consideration of
Economy, Social and Environmental community priorities on an integrated basis - so that when initiatives
are considered potential negative impacts on the other spheres are identified and plans made to
3
1.b. - 6
avoid/resolve/mitigate those potential conflicts. We also observed that there were opportunities for work
to be integrated across spheres to achieve progress in more than one goal area.
Our discussions and observations gave rise to a number of recommendations that we wanted to share,
focused on the future - the new Strategic Plan under development and future evaluation of the initiatives
flowing from it over the next four years. Our recommendations include the following:
General
1.Ensure that Strategic Plan guides the development of the Business Plans and City budgets
2.Ensure allocation of sufficient resources for project planning and project management initiatives to
support staff in completing projects on time
3.Undertake fewer projects to ensure more projects are completed
4.Consider smaller initiatives or series of initiatives, delivered in shorter periods of time - framing an
agile approach wherein the City delivers a concept, gets citizen feedback early on, and decides to
proceed, revise plans, or cancel at an early stage.
Strategic Plan Implementation
1.Place more emphasis on delivering strategic initiatives and ensure strategic initiatives have the
highest completion rate in business plans
2.Balance the distribution of projects amongst the Strategic Plan's goals
Evaluation
1.Consider the input from the public on what is important to them in evaluating and reporting on
Strategic Plan implementation in developing an evaluation framework
2.Establish the expectation that, at the outset of planning projects, specific measurable outcomes
will be delineated for each initiative so that the success of a project can be assessed relative to
those outcomes.
3.Metrics need to be meaningful - time, budget, savings, and impact on citizens. Develop a rubric
and evaluat
Strategic Vision (Caring, Vibrant, Innovative)
4.Evaluate the impact of all projects, including cancelled/delayed projects.
5.Be more celebratory when reporting on results and make results more accessible to the public
through an interactive Dashboard
The 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
1.Following through from the previous Strategic Plan, completion of the following projects should be
included in Business Plans to complete the 2015 to 2018 Strategic Plan and implement the new
Strategic Plan
Citizen Dashboard Creative Hub
Long-Term Financial Plan Traffic Safety
Urban Forestry Strategy and projects Cycling Master Plan
Planning around ION stations Initiatives to Increase Supply of
Affordable Housing
Arts and Culture Strategy
Advocacy for Improved Commuter Service
Climate Action Plan and Environmental
projects Municipal Response to Truth and
Reconciliation Call to Action
4
1.b. - 7
Contents
Executive Summary
1.Introduction
2.Evaluation
2.1Overall Completion Results
2.2Completion by Project Category
2.3Business Plan Project Completion by Strategic Plan Goals
2.4Business Plan Project Evaluation by Strategic Plan Goals
3.Past Approaches and Challenges
4.What People Want to Know about Strategic Plan Implementation
5.What People Think Makes a Good Evaluation Process
6.Recommendations
5
1.b. - 8
1.Introduction
Together we will build an innovative, caring and vibrant Kitchener.
The 2015-2018 Strategic Plan contains 5 goals and under each goal are a number of objectives. The
goals are:
1.Open Government
2.Strong and Resilient Economy
3.Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods
4.Sustainable Environment & Infrastructure
5.Effective & Efficient City Services
Council has provided Compass Kitchener with the mandate to monitor and evaluate progress against
achievement of Strategic Plan priorities and to report on progress to Council and the community.
Annually, the City of Kitchener prepares a Business Plan outlining work items that the administration will
undertake. The items are intended to advance the Strategic Plan Vision, work towards achieving the
Strategic Plan Goals and advance core services that the City provides. Compass Kitchener has reviewed the
status of projects in the Business Plans prepared between 2015 and 2018 as the basis for evaluating
progress made on implementing the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan.
This report provides Council and the community with the results of our evaluation of progress made
between 2015 and 2018. It also provides information and our advice to inform the future evaluation
process for the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan now under preparation.
Compass Kitchener greatly appreciates the opportunity it has to help shape the Strategic Plan for the City
of Kitchener and to monitor its implementation from a citizen perspective. We thank Council for being
open to this input.
2.Evaluation
2.1Overall Completion Results
There were 225 projects initiated by the City of Kitchener in business plans between 2015 and 2018. As of
December 2018, 122 business plan projects have been completed. This represents a 54% overall completion
rate. An additional 20% of the 225 projects are expected to be completed in 2019.
Our review found that a significant number of projects were delayed each year and some projects were
cancelled or not started. This indicated to us that with the large number of projects underway, resources
were spread too thin to accomplish all that was intended.
We wondered whether the fact that plans for implementation of so many of business plan initiatives
spanned multiple years was due to them all being sufficiently complex that multiple years are required, or
whether it was a question of trying to do too many things simultaneously?
If fewer projects were initiated, Compass Kitchener expects completion rates would improve. As well,
allocation of more resources to projects, would have supported completion of more initiatives
6
1.b. - 9
2.2Completion by Project Category
While all projects in the 2015 to 2018 Business Plans were associated with implementing the Strategic
Plan, Compass Kitchener observed that many projects appeared to be strongly associated with regular
business. Compass Kitchener asked staff to review this observation and categorize projects to identify the
big strategic projects. Staff developed the following categories:
Strategic Initiatives: Big Picture/Transformative
These projects are directly connected to the strategic goals and objectives and were informed by Compass
These projects clearly aid the city in achieving the strategic goals laid out in the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan
Business Plan Projects: include Council priorities, items of high public/advisory committee interest, key
service improvements, key ward projects and high importance to staff. They may be smaller scale actions
that support a larger purpose or initiative of the strategic plan. Examples include:
Lower Doon Land Use Review, Purchasing Procedures to Support New By-Law, Parking Payment
Technologies, Advance the Customer Relationship Management Software, Server Systems Failover
Capability, Electronic Agenda Management etc.
Ongoing Business Plan Initiatives: include core service programs that are of high interest/importance to
Council, public or staff. Examples include:
Implementation of master plans
o Development of Detailed Asset Management Plans (Asset Management Plans for Golf,
Cemeteries, Parking Enterprise, Stormwater, Facilities)
Implementation of city-wide strategies
o Implementation of the Make It Kitchener Strategy
o Age-Friendly Kitchener
2018 Business Plan
As illustrated in Chart 1, staff identified that approximately 10 percent of all projects in the 2018 Business
Plan were transformative strategic projects.
Chart 1: Categorization of 2018 Business Plan Projects
7
1.b. - 10
Staff identified 12 strategic projects in the 2018 business plan. The status of these projects at December
31, 2018 was as follows:
Open Government
OG10 Participatory Budgeting (Status: In Progress)
OG24 Municipal Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action (Status: In Progress)
Strong and Resilient Economy
EC11 Intergovernmental Relations Passenger Rail (Status: In Progress)
Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods
NB13 Sustainable Development Feasibility Study (Status: Delayed)
NB18 Complete Streets Policy (Status: In Progress)
NB27 Growth Management Strategy Review (Status: On Hold)
NB32 PARTS Fairway Station Area Plan (Status: Future Project)
NB33 PARTS Block Line Station Area Plan (Status: Future Project)
Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure
SE04 Corporate Climate Action Plan (Status: In Progress)
SE06 Sustainable Urban Forest Management Program (Status: In Progress)
SE12 Update the Cycling Master Plan (Status: In Progress)
Effective and Efficient City Services
CS09 Long-Term Financial Plan (Status: In Progress)
2018 seems to have been an unusual year due to the:
The low number of projects completed
The high number of projects in progress
The high number of projects not started
The high number of projects delayed
The high number of initiatives shifted to future projects
In some cases staff noted that insufficient resources were available with which to carry out these
initiatives. This suggests that either a number of unforeseen items used resources otherwise intended to
support initiatives in the plan or, the Strategic Placreation of the budget and
implementation of the Business Plan. If the latter is the case, it will be important to ensure that the
Strategic Plan appropriately guides business plans and budgets in future years.
2015-2018 Period
When looking back over the 2015 to 2018 period Compass Kitchener found that the transformative
strategic projects were few in number and had low completion rates as illustrated in Chart 2.
8
1.b. - 11
Chart 2: Projects completed as Planned between 2015 and 2018
*The 2018 business plan had 4 projects scheduled to begin after Dec 2018, these are not included in the
total number of projects (92).
Compass Kitchener observes that while a great deal of good work has been accomplished by the City over
the 2015 to 2018 period only a handful of truly transformative projects have been completed and several
projects that would have significantly advanced implementation of the strategic plan were not completed.
These include:
Completed Not Completed
2015-2018 Strategic Plan Sustainable Development Feasibility Study
Kitchener Economic Development Strategy Long Term Financial Plan
Community Gardens Program Make It Vibrant - Special Events and Urban
Experience Strategy
Neighbourhood Strategy
Sustainable Urban Forest Management Program
Corporate Technology Strategic Plan and
Digital Strategy (Digital Kitchener) Complete Streets Policy
Corporate Climate Action Plan
Compass Kitchener suggests that going forward sufficient resources and priority be allocated to
transformative strategic projects to achieve 100% completion as this will ensure achievement of the
Strategic Plan priorities.
9
1.b. - 12
2.3Business Plan Project Completion by Strategic Plan Goals
Compass Kitchener reviewed the projects that were undertaken between 2015 and 2018 relative to
alignment with the 5 Strategic Plan goals. The status of 2015 2018 Business Plan projects by Strategic Plan
goal is shown in Chart 3.
Chart 3 Status of Projects by Strategic Plan Goal
Projects 2015-2018
by Strategic Plan Goal and Project Status
Open Government
Strong and Resilient Economy
Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods
Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure
Cancelled
22, 10%
4, 2%
Future Project
Not Started
7, 3%
24, 11%
Delayed
46, 20%
In Progress
122, 54%
Completed
020406080100120140
however the implementation of the strategic goals was not balanced. Of the 122 completed projects
approximately half were devoted to implementing one goal - Effective and Efficient Services. In reviewing
the projects completed for this goal, most projects were inward facing. This goal seemed to serve as a bit
of a catch all for internal business plan projects.
The next highest number of project completions was 24 for the Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods goal,
followed by Open Government with 16 completed projects, Strong and Resilient Economy with 15
completed projects and Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure with 7 completed projects.
2.4Business Plan Project Evaluation by Strategic Plan Goals
Compass Kitchener reviewed the nature of the business plan projects planned for each strategic plan goal
in more detail and provides the following qualitative evaluation.
10
1.b. - 13
Open Government
(No initiatives were completed in 2018)
Open Government
Looking back over all 4 years:
2projects
1cancelled project
The amount of detailed information now available
delayed
online regarding Council Decisions and City Processes
(OG14) is impressive.
It is exciting to see work being done on the two pilot
projects trying out a model for Participatory
7in progress
Budgeting. It will be important to see these projects
reach their completion and the learnings from these
two projects identified and tracked - as there clearly
16completed projects
seems to be an appetite for citizen involvement of this
type. It will be important to build on the learning from
these initiatives as the City considers developing
future such projects.
Extensive work has been done developing, using and refining tools for Community Engagement creating
accessible and important ways for citizens to provide input and engage in City processes. This is in
keeping with community priorities as identified by Compass Kitchener through recent public consultation.
Compass Kitchener hoped to have seen more progress on the Municipal Response to the Truth and
Reconciliation Calls to Action (OG24) project. Kitchener prides itself on its multicultural community and
fostering a Caring and Vibrant community are core aspects of the City's Vision - yet this initiative appears
not to have progressed. Action on this project will advance the City's embodiment of being a caring and
vibrant community. We look forward to seeing how Council is planning on moving forward with the
recommended next steps for the project.
For Compass Kitchener one of the greatest disappointments regarding initiatives in the Open Government
sphere is the cancellation of the . While the City has made commendable progress in
ations and decision making, the notion of a
well-
cascading tiers of increasingly detailed information - and as such would enable the efficient provision of
answer While we know that citizens
are seeking information on numerous topics, not all are looking for the level of detail found in minutes and
reports - summary information in key areas could be provided effectively through a well-developed Citizen
Dashboard (and could be linked to more detailed information offerings).
11
1.b. - 14
{ƷƩƚƓŭ ğƓķ wĻƭźƌźĻƓƷ 9ĭƚƓƚƒǤ
(No initiatives were completed in 2018)
Strong and Resilient Economy
Excellent work was done in earlier years:
Developing, and beginning to implement,
8cancelled
strategies that form a firm foundation for
Projects
economic development moving forward,
Collaborating with others in establishing
15completed
the Waterloo Region Economic
projects
2 delayed
Development Corp. and
projects
Carrying out numerous initiatives to
core.
6in progress
EC11 Passenger Rail While recognizing that the City is playing an advocacy role here and does not have
control over the development of rail services - it is really important that the City has been, and will
continue to be, active in pursuing this initiative. It is important to note that there have been small
increases in GO rail service achieved to date - which are good. However the City needs to continue to
advocate for improved GO passenger rail service, including high speed rail, to meet the needs to local
residents who need to travel into Toronto for employment and work-related matters and local businesses
which need efficient means of bringing people from Toronto into town to work at, or with, their
enterprise. Opening up a direct pathway been Kitchener and Toronto will increase housing values and
market interest in Kitchener for those looking for more affordable housing in commuting distance to
Toronto. Increased market values, however, will raise concern regarding access to affordable and
accessibly priced housing for a number of current city residents. As a result we anticipate heightened
urgency around the need for the City to move forward with initiatives in support of the development of
affordable/accessibly priced housing.
EC01 Arts and Culture Strategy Arts and culture are very important to our community, not only
economically, but also in terms of:
their contribution to the vibrancy of the community and its and its ability to attract and retain the
people our businesses need;
:
the entertainment and creative growth opportunities and outlets that they provide; and
the social issues they often present that promote dialogue within the community and help the
community grow.
It is unfortunate, given these important roles that arts and culture play in our community, that the
development of a new Arts and Culture Strategy was cancelled, and it is important for this initiative to be
reintroduced into the upcoming strategic plan.
Creative Hub: The City has done good initial work in developing a concept, and exploring potential
locations, for a creative hub, and issued a request for proposal for an operator of such a
hub. Unfortunately none of the submissions received succeeded in fulfilling the established criteria.
12
1.b. - 15
Despite not finding an operator with an appropriate proposal with this first effort, it is important that the
City not give up on this initiative, but rather that it take what has been learned through this process to
date and now refine the concept as needed, and develop a new plan for proceeding with a revised
creative hub initiative. It is essential to encourage the community to take part in many different spheres of
economic development - from culture and the arts to manufacturing. Providing a space where individuals
can meet and network is essential to business growth and economic development. It will be exciting to see
what comes out of the creative hub.
Kitchener Market Strategic Plan: The market is a huge part of the community, contributing to the
animation of downtown Kitchener, keeping products local and encouraging local buying, helping local
famers/vendors and supporting the local economy.
{ğŅĻ ğƓķ ŷƩźǝźƓŭ bĻźŭŷĬƚǒƩŷƚƚķƭ
Safe and Thriving
It is exciting to see the progress that has been
Neighbourhoods
made with initiatives such as increased
5 cancelled
3 future
Neighbourhood Events and Development of
projects
projects
Boulevard Beautification Guidelines - which
3projects not
in their community.
24completed
started
projects
Work done on Pro-Active Traffic Calming Design
Features is important and will be greatly
7delayed
appreciated, helping to address traffic safety
projects
issues which are a key priority for citizens
struggling with such issues.
15in
progress
Snow Angels is a brilliant program. It is great for students looking for volunteer hours, and promotes a
sense of community, encourages knowing your neighbours and increasing safety. Engaged neighbours and
volunteers are helping to provide safe cleared sidewalks and driveways and at the same time are reducing
pressure on City staff in winter.
Community Gardens are essential to healthy living and living locally. Having some plots maintained for all
community use would be helpful. More land for not for profit organizations to use would be great.
Evaluating the interest and popularity of these programs would help gauge community benefit. Evaluation
is difficult does the city collect info based on usage and community interest/popularity benefit to the
health of the community contribution to a greater sense of community? Creating programs to teach
children and youth the benefit of fresh foods and cooking would be an amazing use of community
gardens.
It is also very positive to see the work that has been done in developing the Area Plans (NB02, NB08 &
NB09), as those can play a key role in supporting usage of the LRT (and promoting the related
environmental benefits) once it is in operation. However it is important that the PARTS Fairway Station
and Block Line Station Area Plans (NB32 & NB33) not be delayed further as developing these plans will also
13
1.b. - 16
promote use of the ION once it is operating. The sooner these plans are in place, the sooner all the areas
eeds, encouraging more people to take
the ION, thereby reducing emissions and traffic congestion.
The
opportunity to define itself as a cosmopolitan mid-sized city that combines the best of small town qualities
, finishing
the Complete Streets Policy (NB18) would contribute to keeping the community safe, pedestrian friendly
and connected.
We understand that Growth Management Strategy (NB27) is now a regional responsibility but the City
has a role to play in advocating that the social determinants of health be addressed as part of a growth
management strategy in order to appropriately build a healthy social foundation and population. This will
provide a healthy society for all residents, current, new and future. This would be consistent with the
Strategic Plan and results of the 2018 Environics survey.
partners to
One of
the actions is Facilitate and promote housing developments that provide options for a diversity of
lifestyles and household typesBusiness plan project (NB) Development Incentives for Affordable
Housing Phase 1 Research and (NB 16) Development Incentives for Affordable Housing (rental)
addressed housing but it is not clear how many units of affordable or rental housing were created as a
result of this work.
9ƓǝźƩƚƓƒĻƓƷ ğƓķ LƓŅƩğƭƷƩǒĭƷǒƩĻ
Completion of the Community Energy Investment
Sustainable Environment
Strategy (NB20) is very much aligned with community
and Infrastructure
priorities as identified through recent community
consultations.
2cancelled projects
7 completed
projects
Completion of Corporate Climate Action Plan (SE04)
3projects not
should be a priority and would support the LƓƓƚǝğƷźƚƓ
started
aspect of the Strategic Plan vision.
2 projects
delayed
LED
streetlights (SE01) and on-going work in managing the
Emerald Ash Borer (SE19) are commendable.
7in progress
The Sustainable Development Feasibility Study as noted was planned for 2018, but has now been delayed
to 2019. Given the community priorities identified through recent consultations, it will be important to
citizens that the City keep this project on track in 2019.
Given community priorities identified through recent consultations and the recognized benefits of healthy
tree canopies in urban environments, citizens will be keen to see the completion of the Community-Wide
Tree Planting and Donation Program (SE10) and the initiation and development of the Sustainable Urban
Forest Program (SE and SE06).
14
1.b. - 17
The Iron Horse Trail Improvement Strategy Central Section (SE07) was unfortunately delayed due to
inclement weather. Given the level of citizen interest in walking and cycling trails, both for use in the
course of regular day-to-day transportation around the City and for recreation, residents are keen to see
this project, along with the Iron Horse Trail Improvement Strategy - North and South Section (SE23),
reach completion.
Similarly, cyclists are eager to see the completion of Updating of the Cycling Master Plan (SE12) and
Implementation of the Cycling Master Plan (SE13) (both of which were originally slated for 2018
completion). Working to ensure safe, connected active transportation for all ages is essential to building a
community that is /ğƩźƓŭͲ źĬƩğƓƷ ğƓķ LƓƓƚǝğƷźǝĻ.
9ŅŅĻĭƷźǝĻ ğƓķ 9ŅŅźĭźĻƓƷ /źƷǤ {ĻƩǝźĭĻƭ
The number of projects completed (60) in
Effective & Efficent City Services
this area over the past four years is
1future project
6projects cancelled
impressive!
1project not
started
The one project which we flagged as
needing attention in our last Report Card
11projects delayed
and which should be highlighted as
60completed projects
important for completion in 2019 is the
11in
development of a Long-Term Financial
progress
Plan - which would be highly beneficial to
have in place as the City moves forward
with all its planning and budget processes.
Following through from the previous Strategic Plan, Compass Kitchener recommends that the following
projects should be included in Business Plans to complete the 2015 to 2018 Strategic Plan and implement
the new Strategic Plan
Citizen Dashboard Creative Hub
Long-Term Financial Plan Traffic Safety
Urban Forestry Strategy and projects Cycling Master Plan
Planning around ION stations Initiatives to Increase Supply of
Affordable Housing
Arts and Culture Strategy
Advocacy for Improved Commuter Service
Climate Action Plan and Environmental
projects Municipal Response to Truth and
Reconciliation Call to Action
3.Past Approaches and Challenges
Compass Kitchener has some members who have served for 3 periods of appointment and have some
insights and longer term perspective having gone through 3 evaluations. Compass Kitchener has used the
business plans as the tool representing implementation of the strategic plan.
consistent, clear
criteria, and without full information. There have been too many projects in the business plans to be able
to adequately evaluate each and every project. Many projects and programs in the business plans are
core services and while very important to accomplish do not as directly advance the Strategic Plan.
15
1.b. - 18
Comments provided during past report card presentations to Council, revealed the fact that Council and
Compass Kitchener have sometimes had differing views of how the City has performed in identified areas
relative to its Strategic Plan. Sometimes Council members have felt the City had not performed as well as
suggested by the report card, in other instances they felt the City had performed better. While some of
those differences may be attributable to differing perspectives based on different experience, Compass
Kitchener's sense is that many of the differences arose due to the absence of clearly outlined measurable
outcomes established at the outset of projects, against which their progress or completion could be
measured. Evaluations tended to be more subjective and therefore the conclusions were more varied.
the Strategic and Business Plans, we have come to recognize the benefits that would arise if, as future
plans are developed, specific measurable outcomes were delineated for each initiative at the outset,
against which the success of progress or completion can be measured.
Compass Kitchener notes that the majority of projects completed are inward looking projects to improve
staff operations and very few are big strategic projects that will help transform the city to achieve its
vision. Compass Kitchener believes citizens would like to see a more balanced delivery of strategic
projects amongst the City's strategic goals.
4.What People Want to Know about Strategic Plan Implementation
On January 24, 2019 Compass Kitchener convened an All Advisory Committees Meeting to obtain input
and ideas on strategic plan evaluation. In summary Compass Kitchener heard that people want to hear
about the following aspects of Strategic Plan implementation:
Clarity
Smart goals - be clear on what you are trying to do
Benchmarks for success
Criteria/measure of success?
Clear explanation on how we and what we are measuring
Concise reporting
In addition to measures - why is the plan the way it is? What priorities are driving it?
Content:
Lead with the why: why was the project chosen
How does this work align with Mission/Vision?
People stories: how the project positively impacts people
Shared progress on specific plans and brief summary of completed projects
Promote the broader benefits, for example: the project is done but is there an increase in building
permits and how is the City improved compared to previous years
While it is helpful to know where the city is focusing its attention, we need to understand progress
toward desired outcomes
Give info on how people can engage to support progress on the plan
What was scrapped and why?
How is the strategic plan prepared?
How are projects picked - why?
16
1.b. - 19
Who evaluates outcomes/progress?
How do we decide if it is worth continuing or not?
Metrics and data driven decisions
After projects come off the business plan, how are they going to be reported long-term?
Dashboards:
Show progress on projects - through an easy dashboard - not a lengthy report
Use bubbles/visuals like Edmonton
High level "stop light" dashboard with opportunity to drill down
Easy to digest info (stats, high level progress)
Cascading levels of information - an icon/image to start and the built in ability to drill down deeper
High level picture with detail behind it
One way of reporting is by category, reporting geographically including spatial depiction of where
actions are underway would also be nice
Accessibility
Graphs need to be AODA compliant - need to explain what graphs are illustrating.
Smart formats: not just AODA, but in plain language, different language
Is info in accessible formats for seniors (eg. Font)?
More accessibility on website
Clarity on graphical info and shared info
Translations available
City website - make it easy to navigate
Look at the way City communicates with individuals where English is not the first language?
Budget
How much money is spent to achieve each priority?
How is budget divided on strategy
Tax dollars at work = have inserts with tax bills
Was the individual initiative successful and what was the cost?
Cost to taxpayers, value for money of implementation
Look at and present the budget reflecting allocations to the Strategic Plan
Various Media
Better communication with public about the existence of plans
Report progress a variety of ways
More social media - with link to actual info
Maintain different communication methods (digital/print), the Record, Kitchener Today, Radio (570,
CBC etc.)
Communication/ease of navigation of website
Provide/explain opportunity for public to engage?
Graphics, tell stories with pictures
17
1.b. - 20
Relationships
More synergies between other communities
How do the goals align with region/province?
Info on progress of each committee is not easily available
5.What People Identified as Making a Good Evaluation Process
At the January 24, 2019 All Advisory Committees meeting, Compass Kitchener asked for input on what
would make a good evaluation process for the Strategic plan. In summary this is what we heard:
Criteria - balanced economical/social/environmental considerations
Balance of qualitative and quantitative evaluation
Setting tangible goals at the beginning of projects and establishing desired outcomes upfront
Did project actually, address need or perceived need?
Go deeper than kms of bike lanes, instead use increase in number of users
"Success stories" - pictures with people. Outcomes (e.g. new ice rink - show children skating on it)
Timeline considerations/budget considerations - Was it completed on budget?
Two tiers of evaluation: 1. completion of project, 2. impact of project
Good monitoring data - long term data
Benchmarking against other municipalities
Hands on perspective of citizens in the community
How did it specifically affect people?
Maps - can be a great visual, distribution by wards/neighbourhood.
Is it sustainable
Projects don't always land where you plan but outcomes and learning are valuable and you want to
capture these
Different measurements may be needed for business plan projects vs strategic plan objectives
How does the activity tie to the strategic plan?
include input from residents
6.Recommendations
In the course of discussions that took place as Compass Kitchener carried out this evaluation, the issue of
progress in one area of initiatives potentially having detrimental impacts on other aspects of strategic plan
implementation arose. As part of preparing the new Strategic Plan, we encourage consideration of
Economy, Social and Environmental community priorities on an integrated basis - so that when initiatives
are considered potential negative impacts on the other spheres are identified and plans made to
avoid/resolve/mitigate those potential conflicts. We also observed that there were opportunities for work
to be integrated across spheres to achieve progress in more than one goal area.
Our discussions gave rise to a number of recommendations that we wanted to share, focused on the
future - the new Strategic Plan under development and future evaluation of the initiatives flowing from it
over the next four years. Our recommendations include the following:
18
1.b. - 21
General
1.Ensure that Strategic Plan guides the development of the Business Plans and City budgets
2.Ensure allocation of sufficient resources for project planning and project management initiatives to
support staff in completing projects on time
3.Undertake fewer projects to ensure more projects are completed
4.Consider smaller initiatives or series of initiatives, delivered in shorter periods of time - framing an
agile approach wherein the City delivers a concept, gets citizen feedback early on, and decides to
proceed, revise plans, or cancel at an early stage.
Strategic Plan Implementation
1.Place more emphasis on delivering strategic initiatives and ensure strategic initiatives have the
highest completion rate in business plans
2.Balance the distribution of projects amongst the Strategic Plan's goals
Evaluation
1.Consider the input from the public on what is important to them in evaluating and reporting out on
Strategic Plan implementation in developing an evaluation framework
2.Establish the expectation that, at the outset of planning projects, specific measurable outcomes will
be delineated for each initiative so that the success of a project can be assessed relative to those
outcomes.
3.Metrics need to be meaningful - time, budget, savings, and impact on citizens. Develop a rubric and
evaluate projects on how well they contribute to the community and align wi
Vision (Caring, Vibrant, Innovative)
4.Evaluate the impact of all projects, including cancelled/delayed projects.
5.Be more celebratory when reporting on results and make results more accessible to the public
through an interactive Dashboard
The 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
1.Following through from the previous Strategic Plan, completion of the following projects
should be included in Business Plans to complete the 2015 to 2018 Strategic Plan and
implement the new Strategic Plan
Citizen Dashboard Creative Hub
Long-Term Financial Plan Traffic Safety
Urban Forestry Strategy and projects Cycling Master Plan
Planning around ION stations Initiatives to Increase Supply of
Affordable Housing
Arts and Culture Strategy
Advocacy for Improved Commuter Service
Climate Action Plan and Environmental
projects Municipal Response to Truth and
Reconciliation Call to Action
Conclusion
Again, we would like to convey to you how much Compass Kitchener appreciates the opportunity Council
has provided for us to help shape the Strategic Plan for the City of Kitchener and to monitor its
implementation from a citizen perspective. We thank Council again for being open to this input.
19
1.b. - 22
Appendix 1: Compass Kitchener Evaluation Methodology
odology consists of 6 components.
1.Compass Kitchener asked staff to prepare a summary of the status of business plan projects
between 2015 and 2018 and reviewed the analysis.
2.Compass Kitchener reviewed the past evaluation methodologies and discussed the challenges
members encountered previously in reviewing the business plans. Extracts of previous report
cards are in Appendix 1 to this report.
th
3.Compass Kitchener convened an All Advisory Committees meeting on January 24 to consult on
evaluation of the strategic plan. The results of the evaluation consultation are included in
Appendix 2 to this report. The questions asked of the 60+ participants were:
What do people want to know or hear about the implementation of the strategic plan?
and
How should that be measured? What ingredients or criteria make for a good evaluation
process?
4.Compass Kitchener reviewed the 2018 Business Plan and the projects included in the 2015 to 2018
business plans to assess if the projects helped to achieve the vision of the 2015 to 2018 Strategic
Plan - Together we will build an innovative, caring and vibrant Kitchener.
5.Compass Kitchener prepared an evaluation of the 2018 Business Plan and an evaluation of the
results of the 2015 to 2018 business plans against achieving the goals of the strategic plan.
6.Compass Kitchener prepared recommendations for consideration in developing the new strategic
plan that resulted from the foregoing reviews and analysis.
20
1.b. - 23
REPORT TO:Council
DATE OF MEETING:April 1, 2019
SUBMITTED BY:Kathryn Dever, Director,Strategy and Corporate Performance,
519 741 2200 ext. 7370
PREPARED BY:Karen Cooper, Manager,Strategic and Business Planning,
519 741 2200 ext. 7817
WARD (S) INVOLVED:All Wards
DATE OF REPORT:March 26, 2019
REPORT NO.:CAO19-006
SUBJECT:Council Review of Draft2019-2022Strategic Plan Goals and Actions
___________________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION:
That the draft Strategic Plan goals and actions contained in Report CAO19-006be made
available for public review and comment prior to finalizingthe 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
for Council consideration in June 2019.
BACKGROUND:
Staff presented draft goals and example actions on January 29, 2019 as part of seeking Council
input and direction in preparing a new Strategic Planfor 2019-2020.The information was based
on in-depth engagement with the public, Council and staff over the course of many months.
Council members provided extensive comments and suggestions for staff to work with.
Following the Council Strategy Session, staff met with Councillors individually to gain a deeper
understanding of areas tofocus on and discussedhow Councillor comments would be
addressed in creating the new Strategic Plan. Additional work was completed by the Corporate
Leadership Teamand representatives of the Strategic Plan staff team to develop thecomplete
set of goals and actionsin this report.Appendix A to this report demonstratesaccountability for
howCouncil comments have been addressed, and changes made,in developing the draft goals
andactions presented in this report.
This report presents five draft goals and proposes twenty-five specific, measureable, achievable,
realistic and timely actions for Council review. The goals and actions are transformational and,
whensuccessfully implemented over the next four years, will address community and Council
priorities. The purpose of this report and associated Council strategy session is to validate this
content with Council prior togoing out for one final round of public feedbackduring April and
May 2019.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 orTTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
1.c. - 1
REPORT:
Following consultation with Council, five goal statements have been developedfor the 2019-
2022 Strategic Planin the following thematic areas:
People Friendly Transportation
Environmental Leadership
Vibrant Economy
Caring Community
Great Customer Service
Each of the five goal statements has five associated actions for a total of 25 actions in the
Strategic Plan.
Staff have begun to map how the proposed goals and actions address the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). SDG Goal 11-Sustainable Cities and Communities-
is most relevant,but all of the SDG goals can be considered in developing Kitchen
Plan. The alignment with SDGs is indicated by the relevant SDG iconsassociatedwith the draft
Strategic Plan goalsas depicted below.
The following Strategic Plan goals and actions are proposed for Council feedback and public
review.
1.c. - 2
1.c. - 3
Next Steps
Input received from Councilwill be taken into consideration in refining the draft goals and actions,
followed by a period of community engagementwith the public and stakeholders in April and
May 2019.
1.c. - 4
Awarenessof the opportunity for thepublic and stakeholders to review andprovide comments
onthedraft Strategic Plan goals and actionswill be promoted through a mediarelease,a
social mediacampaign,Engage Kitchener online survey,direct contact with a broad rangeof
stakeholders including citizen advisorycommittees, neighbourhood associations, business,
social, environmental and institutionalorganizations and internal staff engagement.
Engagement will focus on:
What do you think of the actions we have proposedtotakein each of the theme areas
over the next four years?
What opportunitiesdo you see to work with the City on implementing thegoals and
actions?
A recommended Strategic Plan will presented to the Finance and Corporate Services Committee
for review and discussion prior to Council consideration/final approvalinJune2019. Staff are
also working collaboratively with Compass Kitchener to jointly develop an evaluation program
and criteria to assess and objectively measure progress in implementing the Strategic Plan. The
criteria and approachwill be providedto Council in June 2019along with consideration of final
approval of the Strategic Plan.
Direction Sought FromCouncil
session been suitably
addressed in the revised goal and action statements above?
Is Council sufficiently satisfied with the goal and action statements such that they can be
shared with the community for a final round of public input prior to finalization at a future
Council meeting?
Does Council have any feedback on the process to engage with the public on the draft
Strategic Plangoals and actionsas outlined in the Next Stepssection of this report?
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The development of the 2019-2022 strategic planisintended to further theachievement of the
Cthat together we will build an innovative, caring and vibrant Kitchener.
1.c. - 5
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Strategic actions that involve the introduction of new programs and services, or involve
substantial increases in service levels, will require additional resources to be sustainable. This
may include both financial as well as human resources to deliver enhanced service levels. Where
possible, staff will explore alternate funding sources or reallocate existing resources to address
require investments of tax supported or user rate supported funding.
On April 1, 2019, Council will have before it recommendations to consider in setting the
development charge rates that will directly impact the provision and timing of community facilities
listed in the actions under Caring Community. Staff will amend the draft Strategic Plan action
thatliststhecommunity facility
charges.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM nda in advance of the
council/committee meeting.
CONSULTOver 1,250citizens participated in the community engagement process, including
the Environics citizen survey reported to Council in April 2018, and the Your Kitchener, Your
Say!community engagement campaign conducted inJune and July 2018and reported to
Council in August 2018.
Compass Kitchener and the City jointly hosted a meeting with representatives from all of the
Advisory Committees on January 24, 2019 to consult on goal statements and actions, as well
as to get input on what Strategic Plan information the City should be monitoring and reporting
on from a citizen perspective.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, CAO
Attachments:
Appendix A: Addressing
1.c. - 6
Appendix: A
Addressing
Fromthe January 29, 2019 Strategic Planning Session
Preliminary Content/Council CommentsRevised Draft Content/Response
Safe TransportationPeople-Friendly Transportation
PreviousGoal:RevisedGoal:
Transform how people move through the city by making
ensuring that it is safe, comfortable, convenient the transportation network safe, comfortable and
connected.
and affordablefor all users regardless of age,
ability or economic status.
How does affordability get factored in? (what Response: cycling and walking are more affordable/people
does affordable mean in goal statement) can participate fully
may imply GRT
bus rates
Do you need last part of goal statement related Affordability and other qualifiers removed,
to status of people?
autonomous cars -how will they be managedNew Action:Encourage and incentivize alternative modes of
LED vehicletrackingtransportation by developing and subsidizing a bikeshare
program by 2021
Autonomous cars and LED vehicletracking could be
considered for future business plan projects
Previous Example Action #1: Install a Revised Action: Install a continuous and protected cycling
continuous, connected, protected cycling network network that connects adjacent neighbourhoods to the
within a 2.5 km (10 minute cycle) radius of the downtown by 2021
downtown by 2022.
Segregate cycle lanes
Better pedestrian routes as alternative to carsNew Action:Develop a plan to create pedestrian-first
streets between Victoria Park and City Hall and between the
LRT and Kitchener Market by 2022.
Previous Example Action #2: Develop a Revised Action:Develop a set of Complete Streets(safe
Complete Streets Guideline by 2020 for all future and comfortable) guidelines and an associated evaluation
roadway construction projects (along with a scorecard by 2020 to apply to roadway construction projects.
scorecard) that emphasizes safety, sustainable
transportation, the environment and sense of
community.
Include walking, trails, other transportation than
cycling
Benches along trails trails are for recreation as Action:Improve connectivity and year-round maintenance to
well as transportationmulti-use trails and pathways as prioritized through the
Trails, snow clearing walkways and walkways Cycling and Trails Master Planwith an initial target of
Paved winter maintained trailsproviding year-round access to an additional 3 km of existing
trails by 2022.
1.c. - 7
Environmental LeadershipEnvironmental Leadership
Previous:Revised:
Promote a healthyand livablecommunity by Achieve a healthy and livable community by proactively
leading efforts to achieve greenhouse gasmitigating and adapting to climate change and by
conserving natural resources.
reductions, improvements to green infrastructure,
and resiliency to climate change.
Like reference to healthy,livable community
Example Action #1:Implement a Corporate Revised Action: Launch and implement a Corporate Climate
Climate Action Plan in 2019 to guide an absolute Action Plan to achieve an absolute greenhouse gas
greenhouse gas reduction of 8% by 2026 emissions reduction of 8% by 2026.
through actions within the key focus areas of
buildings, pumping stations, outdoor lighting,
transportation and waste.
New Action: Starting in 2019 leverage the Energy Efficiency
Sustainable City buildings e.g.
Solarpanels, rain catchmentReserve Fund and other resources to reduce consumption
Smart water metersand emissions at our facilities and in our operations.
New Action: Reduce waste diverted to landfills by
Downtown waste diversion, recycling, compost
collection for businessimplementing new diversion programsat our facilities and
Waste diversion key downtown and in parksevents by 2021.
Waste diversion, recycling in parks too
Partner with REEP New Action: Develop a Community Climate Action Planwith
partner organizations by 2020.
Urban forestry needs to be included plant more New Action: Implement the Sustainable Urban Forest
trees on public land, tree protection for private Strategy with a focus on establishing a tree canopy target by
lands needed in partnership with community; 2020 and eliminating the current (2018) tree planting backlog
by 2022.
address planting on private lands too
Growing EconomyVibrant Economy
Previous GoalRevised Goal:
Build a vibrant city by making strategic investments to
Build a globally competitive and dynamic city by
support job creation, economic prosperity, arts and
diversifying our economy and making strategic
culture, and great places to live.
investments to create good jobs, economic
prosperity and a vibrant community.
Response:Vibrant added as descriptor to theme,wording
something that brings energy to the City of
Kitchener community centers, markets at
community centers, arts & culture, park
activities
Vibrancy theme areas sound static right now
and we need to speak more to how we are
changing
1.c. - 8
New Action: Develop the Make it Kitchener 2.0 Strategy by
-
2020 with a focus on transformative actions to ensure the
culture it is very diverse
attraction, success and retention of diverse businesses,
Embrace Tech sector
talent, and arts/culture across the city.
Retail attraction
Cut red tape for special events e.g. re alcohol
New Actionunder Caring Community:Engage a broad
Focus on special events vibrant , alcohol flow
cross-section of the community, including the arts and
freely through an event not constrained to a
creative industry sector and multi-cultural communities to
roped off area legislative change needed
develop a new and inclusive Arts and Culture Plan by 2021
Arts and Culture
Wheredoes arts and culture fit in
New Action: Complete a comprehensive inventory of city-
Consolidate city landholdings for
redevelopment opportunities in the long termowned properties by 2020 to determine how they could be
effectively used to advance city strategic objectives.
New Action:Create a new Urban Design Manual by 2019
Support smaller intensity developments
that expresses city building and design expectations to
Need to include city building
ensure vibrant new development throughout Kitchener.
Example Action #1: Support the build out of a Revised Action: Foster the creation of a citywide network of
city-wide network of incubators, accelerators and incubators, accelerators and co-working spaces by
co-working spaces, initially focusing on completing the buildout of the Creative Hubin 2019 and
manufacturing, food and creative industries, undertaking business cases in 2019-2021 for the food,
opening at least one new facility by 2022.manufacturing and health/med-tech industries.
th
Use 10floor city hall as incubator/business
growth space
Request for update on Digital Strategy and Digital Lab has
Would like a better understanding of where we
been referred to Corporate Services to provide an update
are with Digital strategy and the Digital Lab
do we need tosupport it to address things like
autonomous vehicles?
Example Action #2: Continue to position the Revised Action: Develop a vision for downtown Kitchener
City's downtown lands as leading edge and continue to position the downtown as a leading
redevelopment opportunities, bringing at least destination for redevelopment opportunities, with at least one
one new parcel to market by 2020, while new parcel of land brought to market by 2020. Finalize
finalizing master plans for the Bramm Yards by master plans for the Bramm Yardsby 2021 and for the Civic
2021 and the Civic District by 2022.District by 2022.
Would like to see retail attraction to downtown
as part of growing economy transformative
and to fill empty space more reasons to come
downtown than dining
Downtown business attraction -need to
increase efforts to bring business downtown
Caring CommunityCaring Community
Previous Goal: New Goal
Foster a more inclusive community by partnering
with others to make housing more affordable, providing welcoming community spaces and programs,
increase mental health and addiction supports, better engaging, serving and supporting our diverse
and better engage and serve the full diversity of populations and helping to make housing affordable
our community.
1.c. - 9
Inclusive part is good
Statement does not reflect what we do-
regional responsibility
Like affordable housing in goal statement
Address mental health in actions
Example Action #2: Establish a task force of Revised Action:Create a comprehensive Diversity, Equity
community members and staff that will create a and Inclusion Strategy by 2020 to combat systemic barriers
comprehensive Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to full economic and social participation in the city.
for the City by June 2020 which will make
Response:age/friendly older adults could be considered in
recommendations about how the City can better
engage and serve the full diversity of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy and in Urban Design
community through actions such as addressing Guideline under Vibrant Economy. Digital divide is both an
systemicbarriers and better reflecting the full equity issue and an economic development issue.
diversity of the people we serve.
Where does Age-friendly fit
Older adults need to be looked at
Address digital divide -every household
should have access to internet
Previous Example Action #1: Create with Revised Action:Create an Affordable Housing Strategy for
community partners and stakeholders a made in Kitchener by 2020 in collaboration with Waterloo Region,
Kitchener affordable housing strategy by 2020.community groups and the development industry
Common senseapproach to affordable
housing, need incentives too, work with
development industry
increase rental supply; partner with developers
to increase supply and thus reduce rent rates
Multi-generational homes cultural and
affordable aspects
Add rental units through intensification and in
existing homes
Use caution in emphasis on jurisdiction there
are things City can do even though a regional
responsibility
Happy to see affordable housing in Caring
Community
Before strategy is complete in 2020 we have
new development coming in can we have
discussion to add in consideration of affordable
housing units to the new applications before
strategy complete
Our community has tools to support affordable
housing
Smart Growth Kitchener should be leader in
intensification and provide tools to property
owners and provide opportunities for affordable
housing more units on a property carriage
homes, more units in a house policy change
needed
1.c. - 10
Affordable housing: does it mean region wide?
is this the
Region/other partners?
New Action:Reduce the stigma experienced by those living
Address mental health in actions
with mental illness and addiction in our community by
Important to have mental health supports but
educating and training staff, and by supporting the creation of
has left impression that it refers to downtown
safe consumption and treatment facilities in Kitchener.
needs to be for whole city
supports for staff to better serve people who
are homeless or have mental health issues
should be action item
h
supports
Mental health + supports region
New Action:Better utilize existing facilities, provide relevant
New community facilities need to be part of
programming, support the equitable distribution of leisure
strategic plan
programs and resources across neighbourhoods and
Need a focus on new community centers will
complete the following:
actions be specific under Caring Community
An Open Space Strategy by 2021
to reflect this
Pending Development Charges determination:
Support for community centers to be included
-Huron Brigadoon Community Centre
Offer free community space for people to use
-Rosenberg Community Centre
Better progress on Community Centres,
-Mill Courtland Community Centre Expansion
Rockway, other capital projects
-RBJ Schlegel Park sports fields + indoor pool + turf
Programming community center well
supported
Community programs would be more
reflective of what we do / better as an Action
statement
Edible forest gardens
Vibrant parks respond to changing trends
develop parks more quickly/often -increased
investment to reduce the lifecycle replacement
and adapt to changing neighbourhood needs
New Action:Engage a broad cross-section of the
Need to be better at supporting arts and
community, including the arts and creative industry sector
culture community gap exists now city to
and multi-cultural communities to develop a new and
provide leadership staff to come back with
inclusive Arts and Culture Planby 2021
more tangible action
Response: Could be considered in the future when
Participatory budgeting should be an action
evaluation is before Council.
item if evaluation of pilot is positive
Would like to see participatory budgeting
under caring community
Customer ServiceGreat Customer Service
Previous Goal;Revised Goal:
Increase resident satisfaction,trustandsatisfaction, trust and engagement
engagementwith their municipal government by with the City by providing friendly, easy and convenient
providing positive customer experiences that are services.
friendly, easy and convenient.
1.c. - 11
Response:Theme has
in actions to align with Corporate Customer Service Strategy
Example Action #1:Create a centralized portal Revised Action:Create a central customer service portal on
will be
launched by early 2021 that residents can use to: track service requests, send proactive tailored messages to
(1)initiate, track and receive updates on servicecustomers and conduct financial transactions.
requests,(2) receive proactive, tailored
updates/notifications, and (3) perform financial
transactions with the City.
Example Action #2:Provide on-demand multi-Revised Action:Provide on-demand support for customer
lingual customer service support for inquiries and services requests in a variety of languages through the
Corporate Contact Centre by 2020.
Contact Centre by the end of 2020.
Internal focus measurement /evaluation New Action: Introduce a corporate-wide Customer
component to get feedback on our servicesSatisfaction Program that will allow for the collection of real-
time feedback from customers accessing City facilities,
programs and services by 2020.
New Action: Set specific and clearly communicated service
Internal focus measurement /evaluation
component to get feedback on our serviceslevels for frequently asked about or accessed City services,
including tree maintenance, parking, property standards
complaints, snow clearing and grass cutting by 2022.
New Action: Implement a comprehensive program of
Citizen centered approach preferred (previous
approach) current wording seems to imply Customer Experience Reviewsto help ensure services are
people are service recipients
perspective by 2022.
OtherOther
PartnershipsResponse
Support partnerships with universities and
the Strategic Plan will include a commitment to ensure
colleges in addition to tech sector
progress on the planand the need to work with partners to
Env Goal is very important / as written seems
deliver on the goals and actions
to fall on City alone should include what falls
on others to reduce etc
Would like to see public private partnerships
so that we can move faster Have a staff
team dedicated to partnerships
Partner with REEP
Caution jumping on P3 bandwagon
concerned about costs
Technology Response: Use of technology and innovation runs through
every Goal and will be highlighted in the introduction to the
Tech innovation needs to be inStrategic Plan
Strategic Plan.
tech and innovation
1.c. - 12
REPORT TO: Council
DATE OF MEETING: April 1, 2019
SUBMITTED BY: Ryan Hagey, Director of Financial Planning, 519-741-2200 x 7353
PREPARED BY: Ryan Hagey, Director of Financial Planning, 519-741-2200 x 7353
WARD (S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT:March 6, 2019
REPORT NO.: FIN-19-029
SUBJECT: 2019Development Charges Priorities & Rate Options
___________________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION: For Discussion
Staff are seeking Council’s initial feedback with respect to whether or not future
development charge rates should be set at the maximum allowable charge per the
development charge legislation, or at some lower amount.If the consensus is that the
draft development charge rates should be set at an amount lower than the maximum
allowable charge, Council members are asked to identify projects that could potentially
be reduced or removed from the capital program (Appendix A) due to the reduced
funding available for projects.This feedback will guide staff in the finalization of a draft
development charges background study for public input.
BACKGROUND:
The Development Charges Act and its associated regulation allow municipalities to impose
development charges to pay for growth-related capital costs to service new development.
In order to do so, under the terms of the Act, municipalities must prepare a development charge
background study and pass a bylaw to determine the development charges, taking the following
into account:
A forecast of the amount, type and location of development anticipated in the municipality
for which development charges can be imposed.
The average capital service levels provided by the municipality in the 10-year period
immediately preceding the preparation of the background study.
A review of future capital projects, including analysis of gross expenditures, funding
sources and net expenditures incurred or to be incurred by the municipality, to provide
for the expected development.
An examination of the long term capital and operating costs for capital infrastructure for
each service to which the development charges relate.
Development charge (DC) bylaws have a maximum term of five years. Kitchener’s DC bylaw
expires on July 1,2019. In order to update the bylaw, a background study must be published,
and at least one public meeting must be held.
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Council has already provided direction to publish a background study and schedule a statutory
public meeting.The direction provided by Council today will inform the content of the
background study, which is planned to be published no later than April 25, with the statutory
public meeting scheduled for the Committee meetings on May 13.
The purpose of this report is to inform Council of the maximum calculated DC rate increase, to
provide options for a lower rate increase, and outline the potential impact on DC funded capital
projects if a lower than maximum rate is chosen.
REPORT:
Development Charge (DC) Rate Calculation
The DC Act and associated regulation prescribe how DC rates are calculated. One of the slides
th
from the February 25DC presentation showed the methodology of a DC process, with the end
goal of calculating DC rates for residential and non-residential properties. This graphic is shown
below.
DC Study Process
Informs
Growth ForecastGrowth-Related Capital Needs
Amount, type and locationWhat will we need to build?
10-Year Historical Service Levels
How much can be funded from
DCs?
Capital Needs Eligible to be
Operating and Replacement
funded from DCs
Cost Analysis, including Asset
Remainder funded from other
Management Plans – for
sources
informationLegislated Reductions
Grants, other contributions,
benefit to existing, available DC
reserves ,post-period benefit,
required discount
Costs Eligible for DC Recovery
Residential Sector
Non-Residential Sector
(per m2 of GFA)
(per unit)
The three highlighted boxes in the graphic show three major bodies of work that influence DC
rates. Each of these steps in the process is described in more detail below.
1.Growth Forecast
The growth forecast estimates the amount, type, and location of development that will
happen within the City. For instance, the growth forecast would project the number of single
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detached homes that will be built in the suburban areas versus how many apartment units
are going to be built in the central neighbourhoods.
For the 2019 DC Study, the City’s growth forecast is largely based on the Region’s
“moderate” growth forecast, which sees the Region reach its provincially established Places
to Growgrowth targets by 2041. The City’s growth forecast also layers on specific trends
and variations being experienced in Kitchener to adjust the region-wide forecast.
2.Growth-Related Capital Needs
The need for capital infrastructure is informedby the growth forecast. If the City is going to
grow quickly, it means there will be a higher demand for growth related infrastructure, so the
City’s capital costs will be higher over the next 10 years. It also means there will be more
new development amongst which the costs can be spread.
Growth related infrastructure includes “hard” services like roads, water, and sewer, as well
as “soft” services like indoor & outdoor recreation facilities and libraries. Typically “hard”
infrastructure has to be in place before development occurs (the roads, watermains, and
sewers must be built before a subdivision can develop), but “soft” infrastructure can occur
after development has already been constructed. Waiting too long to build “soft”
infrastructure amenities has negative impacts on residents though, as it means they do not
have the same kind of amenities in their neighbourhoods as many other Kitchener residents.
Later portions of this report will describe the maximum DC rate increase allowed based on
DC legislation and provide options for how that increase could be reduced. But any option
that reduces the DCrate increase from the maximum allowable charge will require a
reduction/delay in the construction of growth related capital infrastructure.
3.10-Year Historic Service Levels
DC legislation limits the funding envelope available to build new infrastructure based on the
infrastructure that has been in place for the past 10 years (the historic service level). In order
to calculate the historic service level, the City has to quantify the infrastructure it has had
over that time period (e.g. number of parks, square footage of community centres, kilometres
of roads) and what it is worth (e.g. $/park, $/square foot, $/kilometre).
For the 2019 DC Study, fundingenvelopes in many areas have gone up significantly due to
a number of factors, including:
More comprehensive inventory listings based on better asset management data
Full project costing for facilities (not just construction costs)
Capital project costs increasing faster than indexing or base inflation
Increasing land values
Larger funding envelopes, based on the City’s historic service levels, means there could be
more funding available to construct new growth-related infrastructure. But it also means
significant increases to DC rates.
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Scenario 1 - Maximum Development Charge Rates
As shown in the graphic earlier in this report, DC rates are calculated for both residential growth
(per unit) and non-residential growth (per square metreof gross floor area). The residential and
non-residential rates are determined by adding up the total amount of DC eligible costs by
service, and then dividing those costs by the amount of forecasted growth. Kitchener further
subdivides these rate increases by geography, into the suburban area and central
neighbourhood area. The central neighbourhood area includes the downtown and expands out
to the Expressway (on the east and south), Westmount Road (on the west) and the City of
Waterloo (on the north).The typical focus on DC discussions has traditionally been on the
increase to suburban residential rates, but rate increases for the others are also provided.
Based on the calculation methodology noted above, the maximum DC rate increase for a single
detached home would increase by 92%, from $11,572 to $22,201. This rate increase would
fund the City’s entire “hard” and “soft” growth-related capital program, leaving nothing unfunded
in the DC Background Study. Further, this level of rate increase would also allow provisions in
some areas for works not yet known or specifically identified.
The table below shows the draft maximum development charge for single detached properties
in the suburban and central neighbourhoods, as well as the non-residential charges.The non-
residential charges are decreasing, or not increasing as drastically for the following reasons:
1.Non-residential does not contribute towards some of the “soft” services, as they are deemed
to only be a benefit to residential growth. This means the overall cost pool to be funded by
non-residential development is smaller than the residential cost pool. And for this DC Study,
the largest increases are in Indoor Recreation and Outdoor Recreation, which are residential
only services.
Library, Indoor recreation, Outdoor recreation, Cemeteries are residential only
Non-residential contributes towards Fire, Public Works, Parking, and Studies
2.The growth projection for this DC Study includes increased non-residential growth compared
to the previous study, especially in the central neighbourhoods. This means the cost pool
for non-residential growth is spread over more development, which drives down the rate
increase compared to residential growth.
Scenario 1 – Draft Maximum Development Charge Rate Changes
Current Calculated
Charge TypeLocation% Change
RateRate
Residential (Single)Suburban$11,572$22,20192%
Residential (Single)Central Neighbourhood$6,030$14,585142%
22
Non-ResidentialSuburban$59.60/m$68.31/m13%
22
Non-ResidentialCentral Neighbourhood$18.01/m$16.64/m-8%
2 - 4
While the rate increases to the residential DC rates are substantial, the DCs are still a relatively
minor portion of the total cost of a new home. As was noted by Hemson (the City’s DC
consultant) during the previous presentation, there is almost no correlation between DCs and
house prices.In other words, the price for a new house is dictated by what the market will bear,
and the market price doesn’t increase or decrease if DC rates go up or down.This position is
echoed by the Municipal Officers Association (MFOA) of Ontario in their recently produced
document “Who Pays For Growth?” (attached to this report).
That being said, it is important to have buy-in from the development community whenapproving
new DC rates, as the ratescould be appealed. Thebasis of the appeal cannot simply be due to
the amount of the increase, but must relate to methodology or assumptions used to calculate
the rates. Staff are confident the City is using proven and reasonable methodology/assumptions
to calculate the new DCrates, but is also mindful of the magnitude of the increase.
Given the size of the maximum rate increases, staff have prepared two alternate rate increase
scenarios. To achieve rate increases below the maximum charge, parts of the “soft” capital
program have been delayed to be outside the 10-year DC capital forecast. None of the “hard”
capital program has been affected as these services need to be installed in order for
development to proceed.
Scenario 2 caps the suburban residential rate increase at50%, with associated reductions in
each of the other rates as well. Scenario 3 caps the suburban residential rate increase at 25%.
The tables below showthe revised rates for residentialand non-residential properties under
each of these scenarios. An appendix to this report outlines the specific projects that have been
delayed or reduced to achieve these scenariosand provides the rationale for why those projects
were reduced.
Scenario 2 – 50% Development Charge Rate Change for Suburban Residential
Current Calculated
Charge TypeLocation% Change
RateRate
Residential (Single)Suburban$11,572$17,30350%
Residential (Single)Central Neighbourhood$6,030$10,30171%
22
Non-ResidentialSuburban$59.60/m$54.04/m-10%
22
Non-ResidentialCentral Neighbourhood$18.01/m$5.98/m-67%
Scenario 3 – 25% Development Charge Rate Change for Suburban Residential
Current Calculated
Charge TypeLocation% Change
RateRate
Residential (Single)Suburban$11,572$14,47925%
Residential (Single)Central Neighbourhood$6,030$7,87431%
22
Non-ResidentialSuburban$59.60/m$50.53/m-18%
22
Non-ResidentialCentral Neighbourhood$18.01/m$4.84/m-73%
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The graph below providessome contextabout residential DCsin Ontario’s largest cities
(population > 100,000). This information comes from the 2018 BMA Consultants Municipal
Study, the same Study that is used to present comparative taxation information to Council during
the annual budget process.
The graph shows Kitchener’s total DCs for a single detached home are around $35,000, which
is well below the group average of $47,000. (Please note that the graph below plots total DCs
including upper tier regional DCs where applicable, whereas the tables shown earlier in the
report only include Kitchener’s portion of DCs.)
Under the 25% scenario, Kitchener’s total DCs would rise to $38,000, or would increase to
$41,000 under the 50% scenario. Even if the maximum rate increase scenario was chosen by
Council, Kitchener’s total DCs would come in at $46,000, justbelow the group averageof
$47,000.
Residential DC Rates for Ontario’s Largest Cities (population > 100,000)
2 - 6
Looking to Kitchener’s local comparators, Cambridge is currently in the process of updating their
DCratesand has recently published their draft DC Study. Cambridge’sproposed rate increase
is very similar to Kitchener’s maximum rate increase.Waterloo’s bylaw expires on a different
timeframe, so they will be updating their rates within the next year.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
Strategic Priority:Effective and Efficient City Services
Strategy:5.4 – Ensure the responsible stewardship of public funds within a supportive policy
framework.
Strategic Action:#CS41 Development Charges Background Study (2019)
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Decisions made about the development charge rates will determine the amount of funding
available to build growth related infrastructure. As shown in Appendix A, at the maximum rate
increase all identified growth projects could be funded. Moving to the 50% or 25% scenario
reducesthe projects that can be funded.The final development charge rates approved by
Council in June (and the supporting DCcapital forecast) will be used to populate the City’s 10-
year capital budget in 2020.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM – This report has been posted to the City’s website with the agenda in advance of the
council / committee meeting.
As noted in the report, a public meetingrelating to development charges is required by
legislation. This meeting is currently planned to be held as part of a Committee meeting on May
13, 2019.
In addition to the statutory public meeting required by the Development Charges Act, staff have
already provided a brief DC update to the Waterloo Region Homebuilders Association (WRHBA)
and committed to providing DC information to that group as it becomes available. Some
information (e.g. Engineering project sheets) has already been provided to the WRHBA with
more planned to be shared inthe coming weeks.
Further, staff will beengaging a cross-section of industry stakeholders to solicittheir feedback
in advance of Council passing the DC bylaw.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jonathan Lautenbach, Chief Financial Officer, Financial Services
2 - 7
Appendix – Summary of DC Funded Projects
Legend:
Full funding for this project is included in the 10-year DC capital forecast
Reduced funding for this project is included in the 10-year DC capital forecast
Further reduced funding for this project is included in the 10-year DC capital forecast
No funding for this project is included in the 10-year DC capital forecast
Max 50% 25%
Project$ Estimate
RatesRateRate
Library
South End Community Library$10,000,000
Materials, Furniture & Equipment$550,000
Customer Needs Survey$110,000
Technology Upgrades$2,800,000
Recovery for Central Library$6,500,000
Fire
New Vehicle$900,000
Radio System Upgrade$100,000
New Technology$1,200,000
Provision for Fire Protection$5,300,000
Indoor Recreation
Studies (e.g. Facilities Master Plan)$950,000
Huron Brigadoon Community Centre$2,900,000
Indoor Pool (RBJ Schlegel Park)$22,000,000
Indoor Turf (RBJ Schlegel Park)$13,000,000
Mill-Courtland Community Centre$4,300,000
Rosenberg Community Centre$6,000,000
Forest Heights Community Centre$5,200,000
Provision for Indoor Recreation$23,000,000
Outdoor Recreation
Studies (e.g. Open Space Strategy)$265,000
Trails$7,750,000
Sportsfields (RBJ Schlegel Park)$9,750,000
Neighbourhood Parks & Playgrounds$9,650,000
Sportsfields$4,000,000
Citywide Parks –Annual Allocation$4,000,000
Citywide Parks –Special Rehabilitation$5,600,000
Provision for Outdoor Recreation$10,000,000
Public Works
Equipment Acquisitions & Upgrades$8,250,000
Recovery for Operations Facility (KOF)$13,500,000
Provision for Additional Equipment$1,000,000
2 - 8
Max 50% 25%
Project$ Estimate
RatesRateRate
Parking
Recovery for Charles & Benton$1,000,000
Recovery for Civic District$7,000,000
Provision for Additional Parking$18,000,000
Cemetery
Mount Hope (91 Moore)$2,000,000
Additional Facilities/Expansion$3,000,000
Cemeteries Strategic Plan$150,000
Outdoor Columbarium$120,000
Growth Related Studies
Development Charges Studies$300,000
Growth-Related Planning Studies$4,100,000
Heritage Impact Assessments$110,000
Development Process Review$100,000
Rationale for Reductions
As noted earlier in the report, to reduce the rate increase, a reduction is required to the DC
capital forecast. In going from the maximum rate scenario to the 50% rate scenario the
following reductions are proposed:
1.Eliminate all Provisions
These provisions are in a number of the service areas and are for capital works that have
not yet been specifically identified. Eliminating these projects will not directly impact any
work that has already been planned or begun.
2.Reduce Recoveries
The City is still recovering funds from four oversized facilities that have already been built
(Central Library, Kitchener Operations Facility, Charles & Benton parking garage,and Civic
District parking garage). Instead of recovering the remaining costs of these facilities in the
next 10 years, the City will only recover 50% over the next 10 years.
3.Reduce Citywide Parks – Special Rehabilitation
This funding is for a new program to rehabilitate two of the four citywide parks (Victoria,
McLennan, Kiwanis, and Huron Natural Area) within the next 10 years. This reduction still
provides funding for one of the citywide parks in the next 10 years. Citywide Parks were
the lowest ranked Outdoor Recreation priority in the Leisure Facilities Masterplan.
2 - 9
In order to reduce the rate increase from 50% to 25%,additional reductions are proposed
including:
1.Further Reduce Recoveries
Instead of recovering 50% of the remaining costs of these facilities in the next 10 years, the
City will only recover 20% over the next 10 years.
2.Eliminate/Reduce Community Centres
Funding for the Forest Heights and Rosenberg community centres would be removed from
the DC Studyand would not proceed in the near future. Planning funding for the Mill-
Courtland community centre and a portion of the construction funding would be within the
next 10 years, but the majority of the construction funding would not be included in the DC
Study. These community centres were the lowest ranked Indoor Recreation priorities in the
Leisure Facilities Masterplan.
3.EliminateCitywide Parks – Special Rehabilitation
Instead of providing funding for one citywide park in the next 10 years, this funding is totally
removed from the DC Study.
4.ReduceCitywide Parks – Annual Allocation, Sportsfields, and Neighbourhood Parks
Funding for the three projects noted above would beincluded for the first 5 years of the DC
Study, but would beeliminated for the last 5 years of the DC Study. This would allow work
to be completedin the immediate future, but then it would have to be revisited during the
next DC Study update in 2024.
2 - 10
2 - 11
2 - 12
City of Kitchener
Development Charges Study
City Council Information Session
st
, 2019
Monday, April 1
Today we will discuss...
Development Charges
Overview of Study Process
Rate Scenarios
Changes in DC Rates
Council and Stakeholder Engagement
Next Steps
2 - 13
What Are Development Charges?
Fees imposed on development to fund
Ñgrowth-relatedÒ capital costs
Pays for new infrastructure and facilities to
maintain service levels
Principle is Ñgrowth pays for growthÒ so that
financial burden is not borne by existing
tax/rate payers
In reality, development charges cannot fully
fund growth due to statutory limitations
Overview of Study Process
2 - 14
Services Included in
2019 DC Study
DCs are Increasing
DCs rates in many municipalities have increased
over the last two years
Construction cost increasing faster than indexing or
base inflation
Increased land values
Devaluation of Canadian dollar
More robust inventory analysis
Comprehensive capital planning
2 - 15
Scenario 1 ÏMaximum Allowable
Scenario 2 Ï50% Increase
2 - 16
Scenario 3 Ï25% Increase
Impact Including Regional Rates
Rates for Single/Semi Detached Dwellings
Current2019 Calc. DifferenceDifference
RateRate($)(%)
Regional Rate (City) Jan
$22,659$00%
1 2019
CityRate (Suburban
$11,572$22,201$10,62992%
Area)
Total Rate*$34,231$44,860$10,62924%
*Excluding Education DCs
2 - 17
Impact of Reducing the Rates
Appendixin Staff Report details which
projects would not receive fundingif a
lower rate than Scenario 1 is passed
Costs not covered through DC
chargesare paid for by property taxes
Rate Increase Comparison
Source: Hemson Consulting
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House Prices and DC Rate Increases
House prices are largely influenced by
a variety of market forces
Not a strong correlation between DC
rate changes and house prices
Increasing DCs increasing house prices
Decreasing DCs decreasing house
prices
Proposed Project Timeline
Prepare Compile Calculate
Prepare Capital
Development historical service Funding
Complete
Programs
ForecastlevelsEnvelopes
February 25
Finalize DC Policy Stakeholder
Council
Draft DC Rates
ReviewSession
Information
Session #1
April 1April 25
Prepare DC
Council Release DC
Background
April
Information Background
Study
Session #2Study
May 13June 24
Statutory Public Passage of DC
May/ June
MeetingBy-law
2 - 19
2 - 20
2 - 21
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