2019-2022 Strategic Plan

• Incorporate the Asset Management Plan into budget and forecasting process.

• Review reserve financing for annual infrastructure replacement.

Invest in new infrastructure to meet the needs of all residents

• Develop a sustainable priority plan for roads.
• Implement a rural drainage and sewage strategy.
• Review funding models and long-term planning to meet sustainability objectives for roads, bridges, and other assets.

• Expand access to broadband internet service.
• Improve the road assumption process.
• Develop formal partnerships to help achieve infrastructure goals.

• Invest in new technology and process improvements for operations and new construction projects.
• Identify energy efficiencies in Town facilities.
• Continue to invest in flood mitigation and work with partners to reduce the impact of shoreline flooding.
• Complete a storm water and sanitary master plan for urban centre.

• Continue to offer a wide range of programming in all four urban centres for all age groups and continue to promote current sport facilities to reach optimal usage and limit downtime.
• Explore the potential for Town-facilitated sports leagues.
• Maintain High Five accreditation, which sets out principles and goals for youth programming, throughout 2021.

• Optimize active infrastructure investment by continuing to work with the County Wide Active Transportation System (CWATS) to connect the entire municipality.
• Evaluate active transportation gaps in the urban centres to develop a plan to provide trails to connect neighbourhoods.
• Implement the Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan recommendation to hard surface all trails in urban centres.

• Identify potential for refurbishment of aging facilities.
• Develop business plans for capital and operating costs on potential new recreation facilities to show annual impact on Town budgets.
• Continue to develop Heritage Park to become a destination within Essex Centre.
• Implement the Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan recommendation on sport field shortage in Essex Centre by creating a strategy to develop the Essex Centre Sport fields.
• Make sustainable choices to minimize our environmental footprint.

• Manage appropriate levels of debt.
• Investigate new revenue sources to maintain affordability and competitiveness while attracting investment.
• Explore opportunities to diversify the municipality’s economy.
• Formalize a Reserve Management Plan.

• Update the Asset Management Plan at least every five years to maintain relevance and reliability for future financialplanning of all Town assets.

• Expand the current five-year financial plan to ten years for capital and include the plan in the forecast portion of the annual budget.

• Promote the new development charge regime to external investors.
• Ensure services are efficient and tax increases are affordable.

• Review affordable housing strategies and strengthen existing policies.
• Develop an industrial and commercial development plan for the Highway 3 Corridor.
• Review policies to create development-ready areas.
• Develop partnerships with utilities to provide serviceable lands.
• Emphasize the agricultural economy.

• Review and build upon the Community Improvement Plans (CIP).
• Develop a small business retention and attraction program.
• Implement aesthetic and streetscaping improvement plans for urban centres.

• Develop a comprehensive tourism strategy.
• Develop agri- and eco-tourism offerings.

• Continue to work with partners to enhance regional transit.
• Develop and implement a wayfinding signage strategy.
• Review Town-owned properties and develop a surplus property plan.

• Improve service delivery with customer service kiosks hosted at Town facilities.
• Review brick and mortar facilities and their capacity to provide high quality customer experience.
• Utilize digital and web-based technology to improve access to information and increase citizen knowledge of Town programs and services.
• Create a single repository for online services (e-Service Hub).
• Implement a Best Practices manual for gathering public feedback.

• Incorporate citizen and customer feedback to improve service policies and procedures.
• Review Customer Relationship Management software to provide central way to effectively address issues.

• Develop policy/procedure for hosting public meetings in accessible locations for all citizens.
• Provide a variety of mechanisms for citizens to give feedback on Council agenda items.

• Create a formal staffing plan to include succession planning and cross-training.
• Implement a Performance Management System which provides concrete goals for staff to develop in their positions.
• Review and formalize staff training and education policies.
• Maintain annual staff performance evaluations to identify areas of improvement.
• Assess the potential for flexible work arrangements to enhance access to services for citizens and improve work conditions for staff.

• Development a Records Management Plan and update policies, procedures, and staffing resources related to corporate record-keeping.
• Expand the use of Laserfiche to convert physical records to digital formats.
• Implement a corporate paper reduction plan.

• Initiate a service review with Essex County and neighbouring municipalities.
• Explore other opportunities to reduce service duplication and inefficiencies.
• Review the current policing strategy.