The municipality's governing system has been reinvented, ushering in a brand new era of streamlined processes, accountability and communication, according to a District of Squamish announcement Tuesday (April 13).
Chief administrative officer (CAO) Kevin Ramsay put together a comprehensive service plan that outlines exactly what the district should and will do in a 35-page document entitled Service Squamish Initiative, released this week.
"I am very excited to be introducing the Service Squamish Initiative today," said Ramsay during a Committee of the Whole meeting. "It's about how we're going to renew this organization, it's about how we're going to transform government services to provide for the citizens of Squamish."
Members of council said they were impressed by the detailed summary of the benchmarking process.
"I see this as a step in changing culture and attitude," said Coun. Paul Lalli. "What I'm very excited about is that it's not just words, there's an actual program behind it."
The initiative is organized into three categories - organizational values, a plan of action and a plan for measuring success.
Based on four visions - Squamish the corporation, Squamish the economy, Squamish the environment and Squamish the community - a key element of the initiative is major organizational re-structuring that will reduce the 12 heads of department reporting to the CAO down to five general managers: Bob Kusch for engineering and parks, Joanne Greenlees for financial services, Robin Arthurs for corporate services, Cameron Chalmers for community services and Linda Glenday for protective and support services.
"We realized we needed to change," said Ramsay. "[The initiative] has created a core leadership team to ensure we can provide the best value."
The other primary elements of the initiative are streamlining processes, effective communications, long-term strategies, strategic financial management and accountability.
Mayor Greg Gardner said the Squamish Service Initiative will help boost business and development interest in Squamish.
"Streamlining processes, a component of this plan, is key to attracting businesses and developments - they need answers, they need certainty and they need it quick - and this document addresses that directly."
Ramsay also emphasized more effective communication between council, the media and the community, and reviewing of all community services.
He said he wants to measure everything from the amount of building permits granted to attendance at public skates to the number of pump failures on a monthly and yearly basis.
"That way we can compare month to month, year to year and community to community," said Ramsay.
The plan also involves a means of measuring success, which includes surveys to assess customer service and employee engagement as well as periodic assessments of the health of the organization, both from internal and external perspectives.
A total of 21 items now have a proposed date of completion, including the official community plan for spring 2010, the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation Sub-area plan for summer 2010 and the bike lane strategy for winter 2010/2011.
To inquire about the Squamish Service Initiative, residents can contact Kevin Ramsay at [email protected].
