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Council "Retreat" Facilitator's Report
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CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES
COUNCIL
"WORKING TOGETHER FOR SUCCESS"
PLANNING DAY
APRIL 30, 2001
INDEX
INTRODUCTION
On Monday, April 30, 2001, members of the City of the Kawartha Lakes Council and the Chief Administrative Officer gathered to identify those strengths upon which the newly formed City of the Kawartha Lakes could build. In addition, participants worked together to identify key challenges that required attention and actions in order to move forward.
Participants engaged in an examination of the characteristics of change as it related to municipal governance which included concepts related to transition management, dealing with "organizational grief" and understanding The Life Cycle of Organizations (see appendices for outlines of these concepts).
These initial activities provided a foundation for discussions which led to those present reaching a general consensus on the components of what can be best described as a "Statement of Direction" and a draft" Plan for Action". Council members are to realize that in summarizing all the raw data developed on April 30~ there was some considerable duplication of ideas and concepts, therefore, a culling process was used to include the most prevalent ideas and suggestions. It was also to be decided that the responsibility for carrying out strategies identified in this process rests with actions that are initiated by the C.A.O. and his senior staff and Council members.
CITY OF KAWARTHA LAKES COUNCIL
DRAFT STATEMENT OF DIRECTION
SPRING 2001
"It is the goal and mission of the Council and Administration of the City of the Kawartha Lakes to promote and engender community-wide cooperation and planning wherein there is mutual respect and appreciation for the complimentary characteristics of both rural and urban lifestyles within this jurisdiction. Throughout the implementation period of this newly formed single-tiered government, Council and Administration will be committed to take all appropriate actions necessary to realize cost controls as it works towards balancing the service needs of uniquely different communities within its realm of resposibilities."
Page 2.
STRENGTHS:
In the process of examining a wide range of inherent strengths brought about by the restructuring of municipal governments in the Citv of the Kawartha Lakes, the following
five (5) major strengths were highlighted. The highlighted strengths were considered to be ones upon which actions could be considered to immediately enhance their advantages. (See Appendices for Full List). Although a suggestion was put forward at the planning session that individual time lines be identified, it became apparent that all actions and strategies required some immediate response with ongoing attention.
* THERE IS A GREAT POTENTIAL FOR SAVINGS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY NOW TO IMPLEMENT CONSISTENT ADMINISTRATIVE AND SERVICE POLICIES AND PRACTICES.
*WITH THE COMBINING OF A NUMBER OF RESOURCE UNITS,
THERE IS AN IMMEDIATE POTENTIAL FOR TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS LARGER RESOURCE BASE AND THUS THE SHARING OF EXPERTISE
*WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A SINGLE-TIER GOVERNMENT THERE IS A NEW OPPORTUNITY, DUE TO SIZE AND MAGNITUDE OF THE CORPORATION, TO PROMOTE "GLOBAL THINKING"
*BUILDING ON THE COMPLIMENTARY NATURE OF HAVING BOTH RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE JURISDICTION PROVIDES FOR MULTI-LEVEL OPPORTUNITIES, NOT THE LEASTOF WHICH IS MARKETING THE AREA.
*WITH THE INCLUSION OF THE WHOLE GEOGRAPHIC AREA UNDER ONE ELECTED COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE REGARDING ECONOMY OF SCALE RELATED TO PURCHASING POWER AND SERVICE CONTRACTS
Page 3.
CHALLENGES:
Participants also identified areas of challenge for which there was some urgent need for action. Out of a fairly comprehensive list (see Appendices) there were six (6) challenges identified as requiring immediate attention and which would require the support of all Council members and senior staff Also, although there was a suggestion at the planning day to identify specific time lines, it also became apparent that in summary all the identified priority challenges required some immediate action ~vith appropriate ongoing attention over the next 18 months to two years.
*RECOGNIZING THERE IS A BROADER RANGE OF CONSTITUENTS TO SERVE, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT IMPLEMENT WAYS AND MEANS OF CONTINUNG TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF ALL CITIZENS
*AS IS THE CASE WITH CHANGE IN ALL SECTORS OF SOCIETY, THERE IS A CHALLENGE WITHIN THE CITY OF THE KAWARTHA LAKES TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS OF THOSE WHO WISH TO DENY THE CAPABILITIES AND SUCCESS THAT WILL RESULT WITHIN THE RESTRUCTURED MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
*RECOGNIZING THAT ONE OF THE MAJOR IMPLICATIONS OF RESTRUCTURING IS THE RATIONALIZATION OF HUMAN RESOURCES, A PLAN IS NECESSARY TO ADDRESS STAFFING ROLES AND COSTS THAT WILL RESULT DURING THIS PROCESS
*AGREEING TO THE FACT THAT THE GREATEST LEVEL OF SUCCESS DURING THIS IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD WILL COME WITH EVERYONE WORKING TOGETHER, IT WAS IDENTIFIED THAT PLANNED OPPORTUNITIES BE CREATED TO BRING STAFF AND COUNCIL TOGETHER IN ORDER TO FOSTER RESPECT AND COOPERATION
*WITH THE CREATION OF A NEW MUNICIPAL IDENTITY THERE IS AN IMMEDIATE NEED TO DEVELOP AND AGREE TO A NEW "BRAND NAME/SLOGAN/DESCRIPTION"
*RECOGNIZING THE ONGOING NEEDS IN THE AREA OF INFRASTRUCTURE , THERE IS AN IMMEDIATE NEED TO DEVELOP AND CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Page.4.
HIGHLIGHTS
ACTIONS/STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE IDENTIFIED STRENGTHS
A) CONSISTENCY:
*ensure that all departments develop policies and procedures that meet the needs of ALL citizens
*introduce and support a program for ongoing training and cross community education needs of staff
*develop a principle that would result in maintaining or improving services
*entrust senior administrative staff to develop a consistent template or format for policy development to be endorsed by Council
*provide senior administrative staff with expectations of Council in order to guide this process
*timing: immediate need with ongoing process (it is understood that the re-development of a single set of policies could take at least two years to complete)
B) LARGER RESOURCE BASE:
*develop a Corporation Business Plan which identifies the manner in which the larger pool of resources, both human and otherwise, can best be utilized for improving services and controlling expenditures
*encourage a human resources plan that will encourage and allow for cross-training of staff, encourage responsible risk-taking, provide incentives and recognition for innovative suggestions
*encourage and support the development of marketing and economic development activities that recognize the combined magnitude of resources now available within the jurisdiction of the new municipality
* encourage actions that will provide staff with conflict resolution skills, effective communitv relations skills, and ongoing team facilitation opportunities
Page~5.
C) "GLOBAL THINKING":
*support and encourage economic development based on the principle of "added value to the community"
*support the development of plans that will address the infrastructure needs of all age groups within the City of the Kawartha Lakes area
*support the development of marketing strategies and "brand" development ideas for the whole Corporation which will be inspirational for whole community
*take every opportunity, particularly by all Council members, to "move forward" and not nurture any actions or discussion that continually addresses the appropriateness or non-appropriateness of amalgamation
*encourage "global village" concepts and opportunities that may be identified to enhance the profile of the newly formed City of the Kawartha Lakes
D) "COMPLIMENTARY URBAN AND RURAL MIX":
*Council members can take leadership in promoting this concept by attending cross-ward town hall meetings or other such events in support of each other
*Council members to consider taking bus tour to ensure their collective knowledge and understanding of the whole geographic area is comprehensive
*Council members can support marketing and advertising strategies that speak to the complimentary advantages of having rural and urban areas in such close proximity and this mix is also close to the GTA
*Council members can support the concept by confirming policies and practices which provide consistency for administration but also allow for ongoing unique identification of historical background of individual communities
Page~6
E) "ECONOMY OF SCALE":
*council and staff determine realistic expectations related to potential savings that can result from the rationalization of administrative services
*there is an immediate need to develop a human resources plan which will address the funding costs for integration of staff roles in the next two years
*promote and encourage purchasing power opportunities, service contracts across the municipality, and all other saving opportunities that can be attributed to being a larger entity
HIGHLIGHTS
ACTIONS/STRATEGIES
TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES:
A) RESPONSIVE TO CITIZENS:
*establish a standard for client/customer service that is adopted and expected of all staff
*ensure that all front line staff receive adequate training to maintain a predetermined standard of response to residents
*establish a uniform process which will inform Council members of all calls of a concern/problem nature from ward residents
*investigate the possibility of keeping residents informed by producing a regular newspaper column
*examine the need to identify within the role of certain staff the responsibility to provide leadership in media relations and information to media
*investigate the possibility of providing tapes of Council meetings in a borrowing program especially for rural residents
Page.7
*investigate the advantages and possibilities of publishing Corporation's newsletter on the Web Site
*keep citizens informed by including information bulletins, especially about services, in tax bills
B) "DENIAL OF RESTRUCTURING":
*recognizing that in almost all cases of change there will be those who wish not to be accepting, it is incumbent upon newly elected Councillors to not ignore the feelings and thoughts of such individuals, but to more purposefully encourage moving forward and taking advantage of "the bigger reality"
*Council members should recognize that they are the "corporate ear" for the municipality and be respectful of opposing views but realize that moving forward towards making restructuring a success is also a corporate responsibility
*in order to better respond to dissenters Council members should have available to them a summary of realties and options that could exist and this would allow for a better understanding of how best to use time and energy in effectively moving forward
C) "HUMAN RESOURCE PLAN":
*senior staff are encouraged to develop and present to Council in a timely fashion a comprehensive Human Resources Plan with all roles and responsibilities outlined, including budget implications, and taking into account any recommendations made by the Transition Board and the Commissioner
*Council should forthwith determine policy and strategies which will address elected officials who indicate an unwillingness to share the work load of Committee work, etc.
*within the development of a Human Resources Plan determinations should be made which will promote open-mind thinking, giving credit when credit is due, recognition opportunities for staff, etc.
Page. 8.
*as part of a ongoing training program, Councillors might consider attending workshops on developing resolutions, what constitutes neccssary information in reports, and how to better produce a newsletter
D) "COUNCIL AND STAFF WORKING TOGETHER":
*Council members immediately adopt the principle of respect for staff in all public forums where ridicule, embarrasment, and devaluing of staff's work is not acceptable
*plans be made to provide informal educational sessions and discussions between staff and Council members to better bridge understanding and respect and to informally as well as formally convey to staff Council's expectations and goals
*consideration be given to engaging a professional facilitator to provide team-building processes and workshops for both Council members and staff
E) "BRAND NAME":
*in order to provide Council members with consistent language and message material in order to support and promote the newly formed single-tiered government, actions be taken by the marketing and Economic Development staff to effectively determine a "brand name" for the City of the Kawartha Lakes that best represents the complimentary mix of urban and rural characteristics
F) "INFRASTRUCTURE/CAPITAL PLAN":
*given the differing needs and existing capital infrastructure that forms the legacy of the previous municipal governments in this area, there is an immediate need to develop a comprehensive Capital Development Plan with ~osts implications, priorities identified, and timing selected
APPENDICES
Appendix #1.
Full List of Strengths:
*having new councillors with new ideas
*availability of larger pool of professional staff
*consistency in policies, practices and services leading to savings
*larger resource base leads to greater opportunities for sharing
*situation encourages "bigger thinking" ability
*opportunity to take advantage of a complimentary balance between rural & urban and yet allows for inclusion of ways and means to protect local identities
*greater purchasing power
*greater understanding of roles between council and management-greater respect of what is
operational and what is policy making
*greater networking opportunities and opportunities to profile area
*opportunity to address economic disparities
*quality/qualifications of staff can be enhanced overall
*economy of scale-budget-more funds can go into service
*positive opportunities within model-build on transparency of only one budget
*one-time transitional funding available
*opportunities can be maximized by having close proximity to GTA
*natural beauty of the area can be more widely marketed
Full List of Challenges
*responsiveness to residents in all areas
*denial of one tier structure that exists in community
*controlling costs related to service levels
*staffing costs-labour relation issues (legacy of moving from old to new
*supporting increased level of business as product of economic development activity
*bringing synergy to staff and council working together
*working towards the development of a City of the Kawartha Lakes "product line
*developing & implementing "client/customer" attitude when dealing with all constituents
*providing leadership to encourage "bigger thinking" culture throughout Corporation
*reacting to "public posturing" within the community by individuals
*articulating a comprehensive capital development plan
*addressing Transition Board's and Commissioner's recommendations & directions
*how to inspire good communications
*carefully adopting and selecting previous administrative processes and introducing new ones
*developing philosophy or general agreement on Major Capital projects
*working with councillors not totally in support of amalgamation
*area rating issues (levels of service)
*position of councillor - qualifications, remuneration, etc etc.
Appendix #2
Transition Management vs. Change Management
CHANGE
(VISIBLE. QUICK)
*externally focussed
* situational
*events
*outcome based
TRANSITION
(WHAT YOU DON'T SEE)
*internally focussed
*the experience of individuals
* psychological
*gradual and slow
Appendix #3
GETTING "IT" TOGETHER
(DEALING WITH CHANGE)
1. FIGURE OUT WHAT IS ACTUALLY CHANGING
2. DECIDE WHAT IS REALLY OVER FOR YOU.
3. DISTINGUISH BETWEEN CURRENT LOSSES AND
OLD WOUNDS.
4. IDENTIFY YOUR CONTINUITIES
5. RECOGNIZE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE
NEUTRAL ZONE.
6. TAKE TIME-OUTS
7. USE THE NEUTRAL ZONE AS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE STOCK.
8. LOOK AT YOURSELF CREATIVELY
9. CONSIDER YOUR POSSIBILITIES IN
A NEW LIGHT.
10. EXPERIMENT A LITTLE EVERY DAY...
START NOW
11. DESIGN A LEARNING VENTURE
12. MAKE A PLAN AND ACT ON THE POSITIVE.
Appendix #5:STAGES OF GRIEF
DENIAL
(refusal, not accepting, resistance, rejection)
ANGER
(mad, rage, hostility, frustration, lashing out)
BARGAINING
(negotiating, dealing, compromising)
DEPRESSION
(despair, melancholy, withdrawn, down)
ACCEPTANCE
(agreeable compliance, resignation, consensus)
HOPE
(optimism, forward looking, aspiring, wishing, dreaming,)
OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, PERHAPS MEASURED IN YEARS OR DECADES, ORGANIZATIONS LIKE GOVERNMENTS EXPERIENCE ALTERNATING PRESSURES FOR GROWTH AND DECLINE. THESE OPPOSING PRESSURES SET UP FORCES AND RESPONSES THAT TRACE A PATH KNOWN AS THE LIFECYCLE. ALL ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ONE. THE PRESSURES THAT CAUSE IT INCLUDE:
| GROWTH |
* DOING WHAT THEY DO WELL -CREATES PRESSURES FOR MORE OF THE SAME
* NEW LEADERSHIP MAY SEE GROWTH AS A NATURAL FUNCTION * ECONOMICS CAN CREATE GROWTH * NEED TO EXECUTE A MANDATE |
| DECLINE | *RESOURCE CUTBACKS
* ATROPHY-FAILURE TO ADAPT TO AND SATISFY DEMANDS FROM THE ENVIRONMENT * VULNERABILITY - POLITICAL PRIORITIES CHANGE * REDUCTION IN THE STRENGTH OF THE GOVERNING CONSENSUS |