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New Edinburgh News
FEBRUARY 2004
UPR, “Opportunity logs” & the City’s 2004 Budget.
The City, this year as never before, has consulted its citizens on
the services that it provides. As never before, the intent was to
ask the fundamental questions. What needs doing? How best to do
it? Two documents were prepared to assist in this process –
- The Universal Program Review (UPR) is a document outlining the
effect of cuts of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and, in some cases (where
permitted) 100% to some ~ 130 “service areas”;
- The “Opportunity Log” is a compilation of suggestions for
providing municipal services in new & different (innovative?)
ways. The intent of these suggestions is to provide the service at
less cost to the municipality or to generate more revenue when
providing the service.
These documents are tools to get the fundamental questions out in
the open. For the first time in recent memory, we are well
positioned for looking at the ‘total picture’.
I have covered aspects of this massive review in my two previous
columns in these pages. Last fall the Ottawa Public Library was
the unfortunate subject of media speculation about possible cuts
because their material appeared first. This was unfortunate. Of
course, even for libraries, the public expects and deserves that
its money be well used and not spent frivolously.
This critical review is healthy. At the end, the City may have a
better vision of its future. If we fully answer the challenge this
year, we may have set a better course for our City for some time
to come.
I will indicate my strategy-based approach during the coming
budget review. I decided to set down a few basic “principles”. For
example,
Principle #1 – Make adequate provision for those expenditures
primarily intended for efficiently maintaining and/or maximizing
the useful life of existing municipal properties & assets. (“Make
certain that the roof is not about to leak before thinking of
enlarging the house”.)
Principle #2 - Maintain or enhance the efficacy of those
expenditures intended to foster or support public security,
community safety, and public health. (I define ‘health’ in its
broadest aspect, which would include physical fitness, mental &
intellectual capabilities and cultural liveliness.)
Principle #3 – Provide cost-effective solutions to meet housing
needs of our most needy. (It is not necessary to actually own the
housing stock in order to provide assisted housing.)
Principle #4 – Foster an affordable and liveable urban environment
in the long term. (Stop urban sprawl).
Principle #5 – Encourage an enhanced citizen volunteerism
component in the provision / delivery of services. (Why couldn’t
we do what our smaller constituent municipalities, especially,
used to do so well?)
Principle #6 – Maintain the target of a zero tax-rate increase, or
even a decrease, so long as principles 1-5 are respected.
These principles can be applied to any of service areas. Below are
a few examples of the way these principles would be applied,
within the transportation sector, at the coming budget review
stage (Feb.-March):
- support budget expenditures to maintain existing road, bridge
and bus system components (#1);
- support expansions of the urban mass-transit system (#4);
- support the inner ring-road and an interprovincial bridge in the
east (#4); Corollary: - No support for other road system
expansions (#4, #6):
- support enhanced security on our roads by making better and
appropriate use of technology (red-light cameras, speed-on-green
cameras, photo radar) (#2, #4, #6).
I hope readers might find such an approach, or something like it,
useful as part of a strategic examination of what the City does
and how it does it.
The usual budget review will happen in February – March. The 2004
draft budget will be tabled on February 11th. I have scheduled a
public information session, with senior staff who will provide a
brief overview and be available to answer questions, for February
17th (7:00 p.m.) at the Overbrook Community Centre – 33 Quill
Street. I hope to see you there. Council Committees will start
their review of the budget on March 1st. Council makes its final
decisions on March 24th.
Community Design Plan for Beechwood
The terms of reference for this study are being finalized. There
will likely be an opportunity for public involvement later in
February. I encourage all those interested to monitor the
Rideau-Rockcliffe web site for further information.
Season's Greetings
I take this opportunity, on behalf of my family and myself, to
extend to all Best Wishes for Peace, Health and Prosperity in
2004.
Meilleurs vœux
Je profite de cette occasion pour vous souhaiter mes meilleurs
vœux pour une année de bonheur et de prospérité.
You can communicate with me at (please include a telephone
number):
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa ON K1P 1J1
Tel: 580-2483, Fax: 580-2523
e-mail:
jacques.legendre@ottawa.ca
Web Site:
www.rideau-rockcliffe.com
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