
July 20, 2017 · 0 Comments
By Mike Pickford
A new plan that calls on Orangeville’s elected officials to ensure they are using municipal resources responsibly and remain accountable to citizens was officially adopted on Monday night, replacing a 14-year plan passed in 2003.
‘Orangeville Forward’ is the municipality’s new Strategic Action Plan. The purpose of the plan is to ensure the Town stays true to its vision of valuing its rich heritage, natural environment and small-town appeal, while embracing the future with a progressive and innovative spirit. In presenting the new plan to council, Town CAO Ed Brennan noted it should be seen as a fluid document that can be reviewed, adapted and changed over time, while also working alongside other corporate plans such as the annual budget and departmental plans.
“This plan establishes goals, objectives and accountability measures, while also providing council and staff with a common focus, setting direction for department plans and budgets,” Mr. Brennan said.
The document itself identifies five key priorities for the municipality to focus on: municipal services, strong governance, economic vitality, community stewardship and sustainable infrastructure.
“These give priority areas have been identified to help drive the community forward over the coming years,” Mr. Brennan said “Over the next two years – 2017 and 2018 – we have a number of actions and goals for that period (under municipal service). We hope to achieve internal and external customer service excellence, we will review and update our organizational structure, look into how our policies and procedures are done, enhance our corporate information technology and adopt a more robust annual reporting process.”
Under sustainable infrastructure, the report states the municipality needs to maintain its existing assets by ensuring it is completing condition assessments on all assets on a regular basis and balance the allocation of resources carefully between rehabilitation and maintenance. To help spur growth, the report calls on staff to implement the long-term servicing strategy for water supply and sewage treatment.
All in all, the plan puts forward a community-wide vision: “Orangeville is an inclusive community that respects its heritage, natural environment and small town appeal while embracing the future with a progressive and innovative spirit.”
Council has directed staff to implement the strategic priorities and actions into future reporting and departmental operating plans, the annual budget process and progress updates. To view the 2017 Strategic Action Plan in full, visit the Town’s website at Orangeville.ca.