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Home My WebLink AboutCAO-17-008 - Strategies and Master Plans REPORT TO: Finance and Corporate Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: April 3, 2017 SUBMITTED BY: Jeff Willmer, CAO, (519) 741-2200 ext. 7350 PREPARED BY: Laurie Majcher, Manager of Strategy & Business Planning, (519) 741-2200 ext. 7817 WARD (S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: March 14, 2017 REPORT NO.: CAO-17-008 SUBJECT:Guidelines for Strategies and Master Plans ______________________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION: For Information BACKGROUND: The City of Kitchener currently has more than 50 different strategies and master plans that are at various stages of development and implementation. From time-to-time, members of Council have expressed confusion over the inconsistent use of terminology by city staff and the different processes used across the corporation for bring recommendations forward for approval. The Corporate Leadership Team has approved new guidelines for the development and approval of strategies and master plans to provide clear direction for the future. REPORT: Strategy documents and Master Plans are part of the overall corporate planning framework for the City of Kitchener (Appendix A). They bring together competing interests and concerns into a comprehensive unified statement on what we want to achieve in the future, what is required to get there, and our priorities for implementation. Once approved by Council, these plans are guiding documents that provide an agenda for more detailed planning and decision making. The Corporate Leadership Team has approved the following guidelines for the development of for all new City strategies and master plans.These guidelines will be phased in over the next six months as opportunities arise to bring into alignment those strategies and master plans that are currently underway. These guidelines are meant for processes that are not prescribed by legislation. (e.g. servicing master plans). But where possible, these guidelines apply. *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. IF1 - 1 Definitions Staff will use the following terminology with the exception of circumstances where industry standards dictate something different. Strategy: a comprehensive long-range vision or framework primarily focused on pro- active strategies or actions to guide the growth, management and/or improvement of city services or programs. Master Plan: a comprehensive long-range vision or framework primarily focused on capital investments and operating requirements to guide the growth, management and/or improvement of physical space or infrastructure. Business Case: A detailed analysis of the financial and non-financial components of a complex capital project to create a more granular plan that may involve community consultation and needs assessment and more detailed concept or block plans that will drive more accurate financial estimates to justify a decision to move forward with a capital investment. Implementation Plan/Action Plan: A description or list of the activities/projects, measurable milestones, schedules, cost estimates and resources that are required to achieve the objectives of a Strategy or Master Plan. Considerations The following should be taken into consideration when developing or updating a Strategy or Master Plan: a) DCAOs/Executive Directors should be consulted regarding what needs to be reviewed by the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) and when CLT should be consulted throughout the process. b) A Strategy or Master Plan that is recommended for Council approval should be included on the Corporate Business Plan so that the status can be tracked and reported. c) Plans that are expected to be of important political interest should include citizen engagement and/or a Council strategy session to collect input and direction before recommendations are developed. Communications and Marketing staff and the Corporate Community Engagement Consultant should be involved early in the process. d) Financial Planning should be consulted on cost estimates, funding sources and budget timing before recommendations are made to Council. e) Strategies and Master Plans should be adopted as a guiding document for a specific period of time (e.g. 20 years), and they should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis (e.g. every 5 or 10 years). f) It should be clear to staff, Council and the public that Council approval of the Strategy, Master Plan or the associated implementation plan does not represent Council approval IF1 - 2 of the budget - all decisions to allocate budget funding are made through the budget process. As a result, some aspects of a Council approved Strategy or Master Plan may never get implemented if budget is not allocated for implementation. g) Council approved plans should be publicly accessible and posted to the city’s website for reference. h) A Strategy or Master Plan that is expected to have significant financial and/or political impacts needs to be approved by Council using the following three step process. STEP 1 - Strategic Direction Recommendations at this stage of the approval process should typically be high level and broad in nature, with a focus on reconciling competing interests and setting priorities for implementation, allowing a reasonable amount of flexibility for how and when specific components of the plan are implemented. Although detailed cost estimates will not be expected, a reasonable amount of due diligence should be completed to confirm that the recommendations are feasible, practical and appropriate given the capacity and capabilities of city staff, the availability of new resources, and existing or anticipated budget constraints. Plans that will require significant new funding through the capital or operating budget should provide high level estimates that convey the ‘order of magnitude’ of associated costs for the period of time covered by the plan, so that Council can make a reasonably informed decision to approve the recommendations or not before more detailed implementation planning is undertaken. The recommendation to be included in the staff report to Council should be worded as follows: That the XXX Strategy/Master Plan be approved as the guiding document for…; and that staff be directed to prepare an implementation plan for Council approval. STEP 2 – Implementation Planning A Strategy or Master Plan that is expected to have significant financial and/or political impacts will be required to provide Council with one or more implementation plans that address at a minimum the components of the plan that are of most interest to Council. Complex master plans with a number of capital projects may require a Business Case in addition to/instead of an implementation plan based on a more specific needs assessment with community engagement to create a more granular plan for the site and drive more accurate financial estimates for the budget process. In most cases, the implementation plan will be presented to Council at a later date following Council approval of the strategic direction and prior to budget deliberations on any related financial impacts. In situations where there is strong political support for the strategic direction that is being recommended and implementation planning is IF1 - 3 a relatively simple and straightforward process the implementation plan may be included in the Strategy or Master Plan when it is presented to Council for approval. Depending on the scale and complexity of the plan, some will have annual implementation plans that cover a series of projects that will be executed in a given year, others may come forward to council on a project-by-project basis in order of priority, and some implementation plans may include all activities or projects required to satisfy the goals and objectives of the Strategy or Master Plan. STEP 3 – Budget Approval The Annual budget process is the mechanism for approving operating and capital expenditures related to the implementation plan. A Strategy or Master Plan that is expected to have significant financial impacts (more than $1M or 1 FTE) will be required to submit an issue paper for capital or operating through the budget process to receive Council approval prior to project implementation. A list of existing strategies and master plans is included in Appendix B. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city’s strategic vision through the delivery of core service. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM – This report has been posted to the City’s website with the agenda in advance of the committee meeting. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, CAO IF1 - 4 IF1 - 5 List of Strategy/Master Plan Documents Document NameApprovedDivision Њ Responsible Pet Ownership StrategyIn Progress By-Law Enforcement ͵ Ћ Kitchener Brand StrategyIn Progress Communications & Marketing ͵ Ќ Digital Media StrategyIn Progress Communications & Marketing ͵ Ѝ Age Friendly Community Action PlanIn Progress Community Programs & Services ͵ Ў Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre Business CaseIn Progress Community Programs & Services ͵ Џ Arts & Culture StrategyIn Progress Economic Development ͵ А Special Events and Urban Vitality StrategyIn Progress Economic Development ͵ Б Downtown Action PlanIn Progress Economic Development ͵ В Long Term Financial PlanIn Progress Financial Planning ͵ ЊЉ Kitchener Fire Department Master PlanIn Progress Fire ͵ ЊЊ Community Energy Investment StrategyIn Progress Planning ͵ ЊЋ Sport Tourism StrategyIn Progress Sport ͵ ЊЌ Neighbourhood Strategy2017 Administration - CSD ͵ ЊЍ Digital Kitchener Strategy2017 Information Technology ͵ ЊЎ Corporate Asset Management Strategy2016 Asset Management ͵ ЊЏ Make It Kitchener2016 Economic Development ͵ ЊА Kitchener Market Strategic Plan2016 Economic Development ͵ ЊБ Integrated Stormwater Management Master Plan2016 Engineering ͵ ЊВ City Hall Outdoor Spaces Master Plan2016 Facilities Management ͵ ЋЉ Fire Technology Strategy2016 Fire ͵ ЋЊ Customer Service Strategy2016 Office of the CAO ͵ ЋЋ Energy Conservation Demand Management Plan2015 Facilities Management ͵ ЋЌ Corporate Strategic Plan2015 Office of the CAO ͵ ЋЍ Iron Horse Trail Improvement Strategy2015 Operations - Environmental Services ͵ ЋЎ Upper Canada Park Master Plan2015 Operations - Environmental Services ͵ ЋЏ Cultural Heritage Landscape Strategy2015 Planning ͵ ЋА Kitchener Growth Management Plan2015 Planning ͵ ЋБ Athletics Sport Development Strategy2015 Sport ͵ ЋВ Development Charges Background Study2014 Financial Planning ͵ aƚƓķğǤͲ ağƩĭŷ ЋЉͲ ЋЉЊАtğŭĻ Њ ƚŅ Ћ IF1 - 6 Document NameApprovedDivision ЌЉ Learning & Development Strategy2014 Human Resources ͵ ЌЊ Talent Management Strategy2014 Human Resources ͵ ЌЋ South Kitchener District Park Master Plan2014 Operations - Environmental Services ͵ ЌЌ Rockway Feasibility Study2013 Community Programs & Services ͵ ЌЍ People Plan2013 Human Resources ͵ ЌЎ Mobile Technology Strategy2013 Information Technology ͵ ЌЏ E-Services Strategy2013 Information Technology ͵ ЌА Leisure Facilities Master Plan2013 Sport ͵ ЌБ Sponsorship Strategy2013 Sport ͵ ЌВ Master Transportation Plan2013 Transportation Services ͵ ЍЉ FCS Service Strategy2012 Administration - FCS & Internal Audit ͵ ЍЊ Multi-Use Pathways and Trails Master Plan2012 Operations - Environmental Services ͵ ЍЋ Skate Park Planning Study2012 Operations - Environmental Services ͵ ЍЌ Health and Safety Strategy2011 Human Resources ͵ ЍЍ Transportation Demand Management Plan2011 Transportation Services ͵ ЍЎ Long Term Parking Strategy2011 Transportation Services ͵ ЍЏ Online Communication Strategy2010 Communications & Marketing ͵ ЍА Youth Services Strategy2010 Community Programs & Services ͵ ЍБ Volunteer Strategy2010 Community Programs & Services ͵ ЍВ Parks Strategic Plan2010 Operations - Environmental Services ͵ ЎЉ Cycling Master Plan2010 Transportation Services ͵ ЎЊ Older Adult Strategy2009 Community Programs & Services ͵ ЎЋ Kitchener Growth Management Strategy2009 Planning ͵ ЎЌ Strategic Plan for the Environment2008 Planning ͵ ЎЍ Corporate Identity Guidelines2007 Communications & Marketing ͵ ЎЎ Leisure Access Card Strategy2006 Community Programs & Services ͵ ЎЏ McLennan Park Master Plan2003 Operations - Environmental Services ͵ ЎА Victoria Park Foundations Plan2003 Operations - Environmental Services ͵ ЎБ Kiwanis Park Strategic Plan2003 Operations - Environmental Services ͵ ЎВ Huron Natural Area Master Plan2001 Operations - Environmental Services ͵ aƚƓķğǤͲ ağƩĭŷ ЋЉͲ ЋЉЊАtğŭĻ Ћ ƚŅ Ћ IF1 - 7