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Home My WebLink AboutCAO-18-017 - Compass Kitchener Proposed 2019-2022 Community Priorities1 Staff Report K!�CR Chief Administrator's Office wwwkitchener.ca REPORT TO: Council Strategy Session DATE OF MEETING: August 27, 2018 SUBMITTED BY: Kathryn Dever, Director Strategic & Corporate Performance, 519-741- Consultation— 2200 ext. 7370 PREPARED BY: Karen Cooper, Manager Strategic & Business Planning, 519-741-2200 Strategic ext. 7817 WARD (S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: August 23, 2018 REPORT NO.: CAO -18-017 SUBJECT: Compass Kitchener Proposed 2019-2022 Community Priorities RECOMMENDATION: For Discussion BACKGROUND: With the start of each new term, City of Kitchener Council approves a strategic plan to set the city's direction for the next four years. The process starts with research into the needs and expectations of citizens and their ideas for making Kitchener a great place to live, work and play. The following chart illustrates the timeline to develop the 2019-2022 strategic plan. We are at Phase 5 with Compass Kitchener reporting to Council on its proposed community priorities at the August 27, 2018 Council strategy session. At the session Council will receive a presentation from Compass Kitchener and engage in a discussion around Compass Kitchener's findings and proposed community priorities. *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. City of Kitchener Strategic Planning Timeline 2) Praject Plan 41 Community 6) Callaboration 8) 2020 Budget/ to Council for Consultation— —strategic Business Plan Approval Strategic Opportunities Begins Dl—ti- irecti- 1) Community 1) 3) Environics S) Beport to 71 Strategi, Plan Engagement Community Council on Approved by Plan Proposal Survey — Pniamial Community Council Priorities Priorities We are at Phase 5 with Compass Kitchener reporting to Council on its proposed community priorities at the August 27, 2018 Council strategy session. At the session Council will receive a presentation from Compass Kitchener and engage in a discussion around Compass Kitchener's findings and proposed community priorities. *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. REPORT: Compass Kitchener Mandate Compass Kitchener is an advisory committee to Council with the mandate to: • Conduct public engagement to identify community issues/priorities before local elections. • Report to Council on findings to assist in developing the strategic plan and business plans. • Monitor, evaluate and report City performance regarding the strategic plan • Ensure communication and collaboration among Advisory Committees of Council • Develop annual Committee work plans for Council input Environics Results Summary Work began in February 2018, with the engagement of the Environics Research Group who contacted 1006 residents in a telephone survey. The statistically reliable results of the survey were provided to Council on May 7, 2018 (staff report CAO -18-014) and this insight into resident perceptions assisted Compass Kitchener in identifying emerging issues. Highlights of the survey include: • 79% of citizens are somewhat or very satisfied with the City of Kitchener government. • 66% of citizens say the City of Kitchener government is on the right track. • 81 % of citizens want Council to keep taxes affordable. • 59% of citizens support a tax increase at the rate of inflation to maintain services. • 73%of citizens want better communication on issues. When asked in the Environics Survey, "What is the single Top 'Issues - Kitchener most important issue facing (2018 vs. 2013) the City of Kitchener?" 7" 1. Inadequate transit 26% (-5) residents responded with transportation, social, 2. Housing 9% (-7) development/infrastructure issues as noted in the adjacent 3. Development/infrastructure 8% chart. t -� Of significance to note is the 4. Traffic/road congestion 596 (-1) emergence of increased interest by residents in addressing social 5. Hospitals/health care 4% (-2) issues including housing, homelessness, hospitals/health 6. Drug issues 4% s -4i care, social services, and drug use. 7. Road repair 4% (-21 Compass Kitchener Follow Up Community Engagement Compass Kitchener developed a series of questions and an engagement campaign to dig deeper into the Environics survey findings and reach out broadly to residents. In June 2018, drop-in workshops events were held at 4 community centers in urban, suburban and downtown locations. At the workshops, conversations on the issues were held to help understand their importance to citizens and identify what citizens would like the city to make progress on over the next four years. Throughout June and early July 2018, citizens also had the opportunity to provide input through the Your Kitchener, Your Say! (YKYS) online engagement. Compass Kitchener also hosted an all advisory committee members workshop on June 21, 2018 facilitated by the Corporate Leadership Team to review the Environics findings and discuss implications for the City in developing its strategic plan. The engagement campaign generated over 1800 ideas from citizens to help guide the development of community priorities. All of the engagement input received was reviewed by Compass Kitchener and staff in July and August 2018. Proposed Community Priorities Compass Kitchener's proposed community priorities are one of three inputs - staff and Council will also identify proposed priorities in the next stage of the strategic plan process. A set of draft strategic plan priorities will be produced as a synthesis of the proposed priorities and presented for public review and comment. This public input will be considered in the preparation of the final strategic plan recommended for Council consideration. The following list of community priorities proposed by Compass Kitchener represents the starting point for future work on the strategic plan. Examples of areas to work on under each of the priorities are provided for staff and Council to consider. The community priorities for the next four years proposed by Compass Kitchener are: • SOCIAL — affordable housing, homelessness, public safety, addiction response, poverty response, neighbourhoods, social services, gentrification • ENVIRONMENT — transportation, urban forestry, infrastructure, reducing impact on environment, addressing climate change, growth management • ECONOMY — growth management, downtown, retaining and attracting business • ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE — communication with the public, financial plan, advocacy, partnerships, public engagement and public education These community priority areas have been developed by Compass Kitchener to provide strategic focus for the city and the context for the next four years. They reflect the input received from the community through both the Environics survey and the Your Kitchener, Your Say! Community engagement campaign. Next Steps The community priorities included in this report will guide City Council and staff as they develop goals and strategic actions that will respond to citizen concerns and make progress in areas highly valued by the community. With limited resources, the city cannot do everything. Understanding the priorities of the community will help the city decide what to focus public resources on based on those efforts that will make the most difference to the overall quality of life for citizens. Over the next six months city staff, with council input, will review these community priorities and develop options for moving forward. Following the election this fall, members of Council will also be engaged in the process of identifying potential goals and possible strategies to achieve those goals over the next four years. A report will be presented to Council and the public in the spring of 2019 that recommends high level strategic goals for the organization, and supporting action strategies that respond to the community priorities as identified in this report. Compass Kitchener and the community will be asked for feedback on those options before Council makes a decision on the final City of Kitchener Strategic Plan for 2019-2022 next year. Compass Kitchener will continue to provide guidance and feedback to the process as it unfolds to ensure that this work continues to remain focused on the priorities of the community. The City's Strategic Plan guides and aligns the city's work and spending with the community's priorities and vision for the future. Once approved, the work of all city staff will be aligned to the achievement of the strategic goals, and progress to plan will be monitored every four months through the business planning process. In keeping with the mandate of the Compass Kitchener advisory committee, results will be monitored and the city's progress on strategic goals will be reported to the public. Members of Compass Kitchener, and citizens in general, are looking forward to seeing the city respond to these priorities, setting clear goals and taking action to make Kitchener a more satisfying place to live. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city's strategic vision of an innovative, caring, and vibrant Kitchener. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: There are no financial implications COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the council / committee meeting. CONSULT — Over 1,300 citizens participated in the community engagement process, including the Environics survey, drop in workshops and the Your Kitchener, Your Say! Online community engagement campaign. COLLABORATE — The community priorities and strategic directions included in the attached report are the result of collaboration between the members of Compass Kitchener and city staff to execute a process to gather community input for the city's next strategic plan. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, Chief Administrative Officer