Service Review Action Plan Presented to Council

In response to a fulsome Service Review conducted in 2022, the City of Owen Sound has developed a Service Review Priority Opportunity Action Plan to ensure the municipality’s financial and organizational resources are being used as efficiently as possible. Council received the Action Plan on Monday, July 17, and noted that the Actions will achieve direct and indirect savings of approximately $2 million over the current term of Council, equivalent to ten per cent of the gross operating budget.  

Using provincial grant funding, the City hired third-party consultant MNP Consulting (MNP) to undertake the Organizational Service Review last year. MNP’s approach included analyzing the current state of challenges and opportunities and identifying recommendations.   

To create the action plan, the City assessed MNP’s proposed recommendations and their alignment with current initiatives, as well as identified new actions following the continuous improvement cycle of ‘Plan-Do-Study-Act’. The resulting action plan and its three-year work plan focus on the City’s Strategic Priority of Service Excellence.  

In response to a fulsome Service Review conducted in 2022, the City of Owen Sound has developed a Service Review Priority Opportunity Action Plan to ensure the municipality’s financial and organizational resources are being used as efficiently as possible. Council received the Action Plan on Monday, July 17, and noted that the Actions will achieve direct and indirect savings of approximately $2 million over the current term of Council, equivalent to ten per cent of the gross operating budget. 

Using provincial grant funding, the City hired third-party consultant MNP Consulting (MNP) to undertake the Organizational Service Review last year. MNP’s approach included analyzing the current state of challenges and opportunities and identifying recommendations.  

To create the action plan, the City assessed MNP’s proposed recommendations and their alignment with current initiatives, as well as identified new actions following the continuous improvement cycle of ‘Plan-Do-Study-Act’. The resulting action plan and its three-year work plan focus on the City’s Strategic Priority of Service Excellence. 

The action plan’s strategies are based on municipal service delivery best practices and focus on the following areas: 

•  Improving organizational effectiveness 
• Maximizing service delivery efficiencies 
• Increasing communication and clarity 
• Prioritizing core services 
• Establishing staffing capacity limitations 

 For more information, please contact Tim Simmonds, City Manager at 519-376-4440 ext. 1210 or email tsimmonds@owensound.ca 

 Quote: 

 “The Priority Opportunity Action Plan gives Council and staff a clear direction as we move forward. Our aim is always to offer our citizens and businesses the best and most efficient services possible. This plan identifies what needs to be done to continue to keep our annual tax levy as low as possible while positioning ourselves for the future growth of Owen Sound.” 

 -Mayor Ian Boddy 

 Quick Facts: 

•  A service review is a corporate-wide look to review opportunities for service improvements and cost savings. 
• The City’s corporate-wide service review was funded by a provincial grant and led by a third-party consulting company. 
• The action plan was developed to ensure the efficiency of the municipality’s financial and organizational resources while providing residents with the best possible services. 

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