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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-12-086 - Online Neighbourhood Association Program RegistrationREPORT TO:Community and Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: June 18, 2012 SUBMITTED BY: Mark Hildebrand, Director Community Programs and Services, (519) 741-2687 PREPARED BY: Debbie Campbell, Manager, Community Resource Centres, (519) 741-3400 ext 3382 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: May 17, 2012 REPORT NO.: CSD-12-086 SUBJECT: On-Line Neighbourhood Association Program Registration RECOMMENDATION: That, pending approval of the 2013 operating budget, the on-line neighbourhood association program registration project be approved and its status amended from pilot to on-going; and, That the Deputy CAO of Community Services be authorized to develop a memorandum of understanding with participating neighbourhood associations, subject to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor; and, That staff proceed to phase 2 of this project as outlined in Report CSD-12-086, and consider implementation with other neighbourhood associations in 2014; and, That in subsequent years, the Deputy CAO of Community Services be authorized to execute amendments to the memorandum of understanding, including additions to participating neighbourhood associations, pending operating budget approval and subject to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor. BACKGROUND: Community Resource Centre staff support neighbourhood association (NA) volunteers in the delivery of low cost community based programming. Program registration and cash handling has, to date, been managed through manual systems, and limited to in-person registration with payment options of cash and cheque. In the past few years however, several events have transpired providing a rationale to implement a transition from manual to computerized and on- line registration processes including the following: an administrative audit of community centres in 2009 recommended the implementation of a computerized system to handle, at minimum, program registrations and payments and daily administrative processes at the facilities; è ó ï the audit also recommended enhanced levels of customer service including on-line registration and payment options. This recommendation was echoed by community members; summer playground programs began the transition to on-line registration in 2010; and select NAs requested support from the City of Kitchener to assist with on-line registration. In 2010, an internal steering committee was established, comprised of staff from the Community Resource Centre section, Service Coordination and Improvement, and Finance to identify a preferred approach to responding to the NA requests and audit recommendations. The Active Network (commonly referred to as CLASS) system, already licensed for use in many recreation facilities within the city, was chosen as the most suitable product. The use of CLASS responds to on-line registration and varied payment options, as well as ensures continued staff support at Community Centres to NAs and the public. Following the decision to utilize CLASS, a demonstration of the system was offered to four NAs who had expressed interest in on-line registration. Subsequently, those NA volunteers attended a series of meetings to learn more, and to determine whether to proceed with implementation of on-line registration. The meetings provided an opportunity for training, problem-solving and aligning the capabilities of the CLASS system with the needs of the NAs. Following the series of meetings, all four NAs made a commitment to participate in an on-line registration pilot project for a period of one year. It was understood by volunteers and staff that this would allow for a period of learning, development, and assessment of how the CLASS system, on-line registration services and payment options would affect the NAs and the general public. As the implementation and use of CLASS incurs costs to the City of Kitchener, the four NAs agreed to pay for credit and debit card fees, a CLASS maintenance fee equivalent to what is applied to direct City of Kitchener programs, and a portion of front line staff wages at the four participating sites to adjust grade levels of staff as required to support computerized registration processes. REPORT: Pilot Project Summary: The Forest Heights Neighbourhood Association, Downtown Neighbourhood Alliance, Kingsdale Neighbourhood Association and Williamsburg Community Association all participated in the on- line registration pilot project which commenced in June, 2010. The process of the pilot project has been highly collaborative and interactive, and has been characterized by an ongoing dialogue and development of understanding among participants, and a positive working relationship between the neighbourhood associations and staff. A project steering committee comprised of staff from Community Resource Centres, Service Coordination and Improvement, and Finance have met on a regular basis since December 2010 to consider issues related to policy and practice, finance, CLASS, staffing, project implementation, evaluation and next steps. A project working group, comprised of volunteers from Forest Heights, Downtown Neighbourhood Alliance, Kingsdale and Williamsburg Neighbourhood/Community Associations, in addition to Community Resource Centre staff, have met during the same period to continue è ó î development, focus on challenges and opportunities, respond to questions, share results, determine next steps and ensure that information is being shared with NA boards of directors. The on-line registration project design allows the City of Kitchener to receive the program registration monies for Neighbourhood Association programs. In negotiation with the participating Neighbourhood Associations, an agreement was reached to retain a percentage of this revenue (currently 14.4%) as recovery for credit and debit card fees, CLASS maintenance fees, and staff wages, and is directed to specified operating accounts. A financial report is reviewed with the Neighbourhood Association, and once approved by both volunteers and staff, the remainder of the program revenue is provided to the Neighbourhood Association in two payments per session. The use of CLASS for Neighbourhood Association programs has streamlined registration and program and financial reporting for Neighbourhood Associations, enhanced marketing opportunities for NA programs, enhanced payment options and increased accessibility to registration for the public. Additionally, it has responded to the administrative audit of 2009, reducing risks related to handling of cash and cheques through the use of technology systems. Program registration is available on-line through the City of Kitchener website or in person at the Community Centre. Lengthy lineups for program registration have been reduced significantly. Payment options include cash, cheque, credit card and debit. Program information is available on the City website through Webreg, in Leisure and in the NA newsletters. The CLASS system enables staff to run reports with program and financial information for NA volunteers upon request. Evaluation has taken place throughout the course of the pilot project. Highlights of the 2011/12 program year include: A total of 558 programs (355 child/youth; 203 adult) involving 4,737 participants (2505 child/youth; 2232 adults) were offered by the four participating Neighbourhood Associations. This is a significant increase from 2010/11. 37% of registrations took place on-line.61% of all payments were made using a credit card, which is in line with City of Kitchener pools who have utilized on-line registration for many years. The use of debit and credit payment resulted in a substantial decrease in NSF cheques, and subsequent efforts by NA volunteers to try to recover these funds. Feedback on the pilot project was gathered from more than 200 program participants sessionally at each of the four participating community centres. In addition, feedback was provided by NA Boards, working group participants and frontline staff. Program participants consistently indicated satisfaction with the convenience of on-line registration and payment options. Neighbourhood Association boards identified the value of the program and financial reports, an increase in participants and expanded market, convenience, and satisfaction at meeting the request of participants for on-line and payment options. Feedback indicated that enhanced marketing and staff training would support increased service provision, and the steering committee and working group are considering next steps. Phase 2: Project Next Steps The four participating Neighbourhood Associations have determined a desire to move this initiative from pilot project status to an ongoing project to maintain the service provision to the community. A review of the pilot project registration and financial information has resulted in a determination of a revised cost sharing formula. The revised cost sharing formula is a projection, based on registration and financial data collected over the past two years, and considers: the anticipated percentage of participants registering on-line; recovery of credit card charges; front line staff wage expenditures incurred as a result of the project; operating recovery for a portion of è ó í additional staff wages; and a CLASS maintenance fee equivalent to that for direct City of Kitchener programs. As determined by the working committee, 14% of the program revenues will be retained towards the identified expenditures as explained under Financial Implications. The cost sharing formula will be reviewed on an annual basis, and/or when new Neighbourhood Associations join the project team as ongoing participants. Adjustments will be made as determined by volunteers and staff, and appropriate adjustments will be integrated into the annual Community Centre budgets submission. During the course of the pilot project, interest has been expressed by other Neighbourhood Associations to participate in a demonstration of the on-line registration system. One neighbourhood association has asked to be included in the project in 2013. This timing is in advance of the report recommendation to add other neighbourhood associations in 2014. The recommendation to delay implementation with other neighbourhood associations until 2014 is being made to avoid further expenses in 2013, in anticipation of a challenging budget year; however, this may not be pleasing to neighbourhood associations who have been waiting for an opportunity to join the project. Future Projections It is anticipated that, over time, other neighbourhood associations will express interest in offering on-line registration and enhanced payment options. The benefit associated with provision of this service by the City of Kitchener is that it enables city staff at community centres to continue to provide service and information to the public, providing both in person and online program registration and payment options, and responding to public inquiries. The technology for on-line registration and debit and credit card payment, through CLASS and the provision of pin pads, currently exists at Community Centres. Recovery of credit card fees and class maintenance fees are built into the cost sharing formula. One additional operating cost is an increase in staff wages. This increase is required to cover the difference in wages associated with changing staff positions from a Community Centre Attendant to a Community Resource Centre Clerk position. Community Centre Attendants, who most frequently work at Centres during the evenings and on weekends, provide customer service and oversee the facilities; however, their job description is limited to manual assistance and it does not allow staff to use a computer. Use of the computer changes the position to that of a Clerk, at a higher rate of pay. The transition of staff support from CCA to Clerk at Community Centres is approximately $16,000 per Centre in 2012 dollars. There are presently 11 Community Centres that would require such a transition, at a total cost of $176,000, if Council supports the use of technology for service provision at all sites. The cost of this wage difference is cost shared by neighbourhood associations at 3 sites, as part of the cost sharing formula for the on-line registration project. The transition of staff support to use technology is vital at Community Centres. The current staff support system creates limitations to the customer service support that can be provided to community centre patrons, particularly in the evenings and on weekends. As the community at large has become more technological, staff has become disadvantaged in the provision of information and resources. Staff lacks the ability to respond to simple requests such as providing directions or phone numbers, due to their lack of access to information on the computer. As neighbourhood associations have transitioned to the use of websites and blogs, Community Centre Attendants are unable to access this information at the Centres for the public. Public inquiries in regard to City of Kitchener events require a delayed response, as CCAs cannot access this information on the City of Kitchener website. Some staff are now bringing their own devices to work to access information for patrons, as a means of working around the limitations of the current staff positions. As on-line registration and debit and credit è ó ì card payment has become the norm for the public, the duties and responsibilities of Community Centre Attendant positions do not support this level of customer service. Large payments for rentals must often be made by cash or cheque, as payment options are limited to particular times of the day or week when staff with computer access are present. Similarly, registration for direct City of Kitchener programs, such as older adult programs, is also limited to times when staff with computer access are in the Centres. Implementation of on-line registration for summer playgrounds has been delayed due to computer access limitations at Centres. As community centres are equipped with Wi-Fi for patrons, the limitations of the existing staff positions will become more pronounced. Consideration will need to be given to how staff positions can be altered to address the advancement of technology in our community, and provision of services to the community. As neighbourhood associations move forward with on-line program registration, the appropriate staff will need to be available to enable the use of computers. Those neighbourhood associations who generate substantial revenues may be able to offset a portion of the cost of the wage difference between a CCA and Clerk. However, other neighbourhood associations may not be able to cover this cost, which may, in time, affect the cost sharing formula currently identified for this project. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: This initiative achieves progress on the following strategic plan foundations: Leadership Engagement – this open, transparent collaboration has harnessed the skills, knowledge and expertise of volunteers and staff to respond to the expressed wishes of the community Diversity – this initiative supports an enhanced level of accessibility for program registration and payment options for community members Capitalize on Existing Investments – this initiative leverages existing technological assets to provide a new service to Neighbourhood Associations on a cost-shared basis Enhance Customer Service – Providing on-line registration and increased payment options responds to community requests, and provides enhanced services to Neighbourhood Association volunteers. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Phase Two Project costs to the City of Kitchener include: credit and debit card fees; CLASS maintenance fees; and staff wages. Credit card fees and CLASS maintenance fees will be fully recovered from the participating neighbourhood associations through the cost sharing formula. An increase of $16,000 for each of three sites for a total of $48,000 annually (wages and fringe benefits) is required to respond to a grade level adjustment from Community Centre Attendant to Community Resource Centre Clerk at three of the participating Community Centre locations. The cost sharing formula recommends that 50% of the staff wages will be recovered from NA program revenues. A cost sharing formula is being recommended by the volunteer and staff working project committee. This formula is based on two years of information collected as part of the pilot project, and has some built in assumptions based on participation rates, project costs, and è ó ë Neighbourhood Association program revenues. The cost sharing formula recommends that 14% of the Neighbourhood Association program revenue be used to offset the project costs. Details include: 4.04% of program revenues will be directed to recover credit card and CLASS maintenance fees. The 2012/13 estimate for these fees is $9730. 9.96% of program revenues will recover 50% of the staff wage differential required for this project. The 2012/13 estimate for these fees is $24,000. It should be noted that the projections are subject to annual fluctuations. In a year with above average participation and revenue generation, target recoveries may be exceeded. However, in a year with below average participation and revenue generation, staff wage recoveries may fall short of targets which could result in a community centre budget shortfall. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The on-line Neighbourhood Association program registration project was initiated in response to participant and Neighbourhood Association requests. The four participating neighbourhood associations have been active participants in every step of the process and project implementation. The process of developing the project together has resulted in increased dialogue and understanding between neighbourhood association volunteers and staff, and an expressed sense of community. Other Neighbourhood Associations who provide programming have been made aware of this pilot project through their staff liaison. Information has been provided throughout the project both formally and informally. Several neighbourhood associations have identified an interest in participating in a demonstration of the on-line registration process. At least one neighbourhood association has requested participation in 2013. Community members have been made aware of the initiative both formally and informally through marketing and communication initiatives including posters, flyers, Leisure Magazine and Neighbourhood Association newsletters, and dialogue with volunteers and staff. CONCLUSION: The pilot project for on-line neighbourhood association program registration is now complete, and has been a highly successful collaboration. Community use of technology and changing trends necessitates the transition of systems and staff supports to meet community expectations. Phase Two of this project responds to meet these needs in a collaborative partnership with affiliated neighbourhood associations. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Mike Seiling, Interim Deputy CAO, Community Services è ó ê