They asked for it, fought for it and lobbied the provincial government to fund it. Eventually, they received what they asked for and now the public has it too.
The previous City of Powell River council began calling for a review of services shortly after the 2009 civic elections. After many discussions, senior management eventually recommended an internal review that would identify efficiencies.
The “efficiency review” deflected the call for an external review, which is what a majority of elected officials wanted. They persevered, however, and convinced the provincial government to fund a service review. The result is the City of Powell River’s General Operations, Service Delivery and Organization Review, produced by the Helios Group of Vancouver.
Taxpayers couldn’t have wished for a better document. It clearly, and in plain language, states that the city is not financially sustainable if it continues on its current path. Costs need to be reduced, the organization needs to be leaner and officials cannot keep raising taxes to pay for an expanding budget.
The report focuses on the city’s organizational structure and highlights many areas for improvement. This makes sense, as the structure has to be sound before the organization can start an in-depth examination of services that includes a value-for-money analysis. Why start to cut services when cost reductions can be realized through organizational renewal?
The consultants performed a thorough internal analysis of the organization, identified key areas that should be addressed and made a number of sound recommendations. The end result is a blueprint for change.
Management has had the document for a number of months and it’s evident from a recent budget meeting, where department heads presented their priorities, few inroads have been made in changing the culture at city hall. There was little evidence of cost-cutting in the presentations and no identification of budget reductions.
Given the financial perils facing the city, officials should not delay making the concrete changes recommended in the report. Council has decided to establish an advisory committee that will work toward implementing the recommendations. The committee needs to have a clear mandate and goals and a defined timeframe in order to achieve results. If results are not forthcoming in a timely manner, then council should revisit its decision. The report identifies issues too important to the community’s future to let it languish in a morass of stonewalling and evasion.
