For several years I have talked in Council and out about identifying ways in which municipal services can be delivered in the most responsive, efficient and cost effective manner.
We are often complimented by other municipalities and our residents about the fine job we do in most areas of delivering the services our tax payers need.
Sometimes, however, residents and Councillors do point out that we could increase our efficiency and effectiveness. Without a doubt there are ‘out of the box’ ways, and ‘common sense’ ways to make better use of staff and resources. Thankfully, residents do care enough to communicate these ideas to their councillors. Well, elected officials take you very seriously. Never hesitate to call your Councillor with your comments.
Last week Council put out an ad to hire a team of professionals to come in and evaluate our way of doing business. By doing this, Council has shown its commitment to raising the standard of customer service in the delivery of municipal services. We created a terms of reference that will guide efficiency experts to review our policies and operations to raise the bar on customer service and response. Yes, the municipality does a good job but we want to do a better job for our residents. We want an ‘outside’ professional to evaluate our way of doing business and give us some ideas on how others do it differently to save tax payers dollars and deliver better customer service.
Roxanne, I find that ‘efficiency and effectiveness’ and ‘common sense’ are typically in the eye of the beholder. If the County does what I want, then that’s obviously being effective and using common sense. If the County does something with which I disagree, then it’s not using common sense. Since not all citizens agree on everything, council probably ends up being between a rock and a hard place.
ReplyDeleteSometimes adhering to the majority opinion of citizens isn’t the most effective way to make the best long-term decisions based on the most comprehensive information available, so elected officials might have a tough time countering the tyranny of the majority, particularly if it’s close to election season.
I think it’s wise to get an outsider’s perspective from time to time. Even looking at best practices in other municipalities or from the business or non-profit worlds can yield results. The flip side ends up being that council could abrogate some of its responsibility based on a consultant’s report.
Ian