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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCompass Kitchener Agenda - 2026_02_04 Compass Kitchener Roles & Responsibilities for the Development of the 2027-2030 Strategic Plan Purpose: This document clarifies the roles, responsibilities, and working practices for Compass Kitchener as it supports Kitchener Council and City staff in the development of the next Strategic Plan. Guiding Principles for Community Engagement Support constructive, civil dialogue that seeks common ground and builds trust. Meet people where they are: engage residents in community locations and everyday settings where possible. Close the loop: clearly communicate what was heard and how input was used along the way. Roles & Responsibilities Overview Compass Kitchener will contribute in two complementary capacities over the course of 2026: as a facilitator of select engagement activities (e.g., resident panel, others as determined) and as a participant providing advice and reflection on findings. Committee members acknowledged that Compass Kitchener does not need to be engaged in every facet of engagement design and delivery; there is a preference to focus efforts on highest impact opportunities. The Project Lead, Strategic Plan will scope 2026 community engagement Kitchener will facilitate vs. participate. Facilitation (as requested) Co-design and/or co-lead select engagement activities with City staff (e.g., resident panel). Model constructive dialogue and help residents explore trade-offs and areas of alignment. Capture detailed discussion notes during each session and provide staff with the notes at the conclusion of the session. Participation & Advice To preserve good practice, when Compass members are facilitating, their input will be gathered through separate channels (e.g., debriefs, surveys, or subsequent agenda items at Compass Kitchener monthly meetings). Offer ideas on organizations, partners, or communities to engage during the planning process. Provide feedback on draft materials provided by staff (e.g., survey or workshop themes/questions, community engagement plan, goals/priorities summaries from community engagement, framework and indicators to communicate the plan and measure success, etc.). Meeting Cadence & Agenda Planning Attendance at monthly meetings is expected; additional meetings may be added from time to time, if required and feasible, at the discretion of the Chair of Compass Kitchener. Compass Kitchener meets on the first Wednesday of each month. As work may not advance at the same cadence, the Director, Strategy and Corporate Performance will work with the Committee Chair to plan agendas and determine how items come forward. Items will be categorized as follows: Background updates or materials where no immediate feedback is required. clarity. Requests where materials may be circulated by staff to committee members between meetings; written comments outside meetings are welcome but strictly voluntary. This recognizes the reality that there may be misalignment between the progression of work on th meetings. Deliverables & Documentation shared with Compass Kitchener Facilitation plans (where Compass is co-leading) prepared by staff and/or consultants. Meeting summaries capturing Compass advice and any follow-up actions. Summary documents highlighting themes/opportunity areas at key milestones in the project. A running log of items categorized as For Information / For Comment / Optional between- meeting input. Compass Kitchener Advisory Committee Committee Minutes January 7, 2026, 4:00 p.m. Schmalz Room - Second Floor City Hall City of Kitchener 200 King Street W, Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7 Present C. Abarca, Member K. Brabazon, Member L. Thompson, Member L. Terry, Member L. Trumper, Member R. Gill, Member T. Glover, Chair Staff: S. Sweazey, Senior Policy Advisor A. Remillard, Committee Administrator M. Love, Director of Strategy and Corporate Performance _____________________________________________________________________ 1. Commencement 2. Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof 3. Delegations 4. Discussion Items 4.1 Procurement Innovation Project Evaluation Compass Kitchener members reviewed the Pitch Kitchener follow-up document and identified the key areas that strengthened the project: 1) the interest from the Region, Cambridge, and Waterloo 2) the partnership with Communitech is innovative and should be encouraged 3) the development of priorities and key takeaways from the program are well described. 1 Compass Kitchener members agreed the project 'Meets Expectations'. T. Glover offered to draft the Procurement Innovation Project final evaluation. 4.2 2026 Work Plan T. Glover shared that 10 more strategic actions were completed and members of Compass Kitchener will need to have a draft report card to submit to CLT by June 2026. T. Glover asked the group if they had any comments around the report and timing. Members of Compass Kitchener agreed the 2026 Work Plan seems reasonable. The Director of Strategy and Corporate Performance, M. Love reviewed the Work Plan meeting dates with Compass Kitchener members for the Strategic Action Plan Updates and the Community Engagement Process. M. Love anticipates the end of the Community Engagement Process will be near the end of summer or early Fall. Compass Kitchener's roles and responsibilities include both facilitating targeted community engagement and actively participating in the process. M. Love noted that the dates outlined in the workplan are subject to change. There was additional discussion among Compass Kitchener members around rolling evaluations of strategic actions as they continue to be completed throughout the year, noting they will have 16 projects coming up that will be part of the next report card. Compass Kitchener members determined that they would like to hear from J. Stephens-Wells and J. Young (both absent) on rolling evaluations. Members agreed to table this discussion and T. Glover will update J. Stephens-Wells and J. Young that this will be discussed and decided all together at the beginning of the next meeting, at which point the 2026 Work Plan will also be finalized. S. Sweazey indicated she will need to know of any follow-up questions or whether a presentation is needed from staff by the end of the next meeting. 4.3 Project Evaluation Process T. Glover suggested the approach to get through drafting all of the project reports is to split into three teams of two with each team evaluating two projects. The plan would be for Compass Kitchener to review the draft reports ahead of the next meeting and finalize at the following meeting. S. Sweazey indicated that she will be reaching out to project managers and providing them with a deadline to complete project briefing templates by the end 2 of January. Completed templates will be sent out in advance of the February Compass Kitchener meeting. From February to May teams will meet to work on drafting their two projects and Compass Kitchener Members will draft the reports together the following month. Compass Kitchener decided on the teams of two and which projects they would like to evaluate as follows: J. Stephens and C. Abarca - Projects iv & v J. Young and R. Gill - Projects vii & viii K. Brabazon and L. Trumper - Projects i & ix L. Terry and L. Thompson - Projects ii & x T. Glover - Projects iii & vi 4.4 Review Previous Minutes Compass Kitchener members reviewed the December 3rd meeting minutes. 5. Information Items 5.1 Request for Pitches For Pitch Kitchener - Autonomous Technology Solutions 5.2 Procurement Innovation Project - Compass Kitchener Follow-Up 6. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 5:32 pm. 3