Coquitlam city hall plans to take a new "tough love" approach to how - and why - it offers some of its programs and services.
Yesterday, during the start of the 2014 budget presentations, city manager Peter Steblin said council and administrators will look at a more disciplined way to spending taxpayers' dollars.
Rather than highlighting wants and needs for the upcoming year, Steblin said city managers will be pressed to give reasons why some initiatives are worth doing at all.
The "Stop Doing" concept came up last month, raised by corporate planning manager Michelle Hunt, who had read a book called Good to Great. In it, author Jim Collings examined how struggling businesses became successful by reviewing what programs stayed - and what went.
"Governments are tremendous at adding things to the work program," Steblin told city council Tuesday morning. "They're not so good at identifying what not to do because there's always some kind of constituent that likes what we're doing in that area."
Steblin added: "It's not an easy process for bureaucracies to go through because it's easier simply to leave it on the list."
Steblin said the city has already taken proactive measures to lessen the tax burden, a topic that comes up regularly as councillors hear about high property tax rates from home and business owners.
Steblin pointed to the new garbage/green waste collection contract, which will start July 1, 2014 and will cost 20% less than the current service.
Steblin said the city is saving taxpayers' money by allowing Multi-Material BC (MMBC), a non-profit group directed by the provincial government, to handle the city's recycling program.
"Not one other municipality had the courage to stop doing the blue box," he told council. "Coquitlam is the only one that said, 'We're going to stop doing it because the province has enabled us to allow somebody else to do it.' That's the best example I would have of the 'Stop Doing' list."
Steblin said the "evolution" of the city's corporate strategy will also likely mean fewer cyclical reviews, a process started several years ago to fine tune department efficiencies.
Coun. Mae Reid suggested some other cutbacks, including changing the number of trimester reports from the deputy city manager from four times a year to twice a year. As well, Reid recommended the city's customer satisfaction survey by Ipsos Reid - a poll that costs $25,000 - be scaled back to once every two years instead of annually.
The process of zeroing in on needs versus wants was discussed in detail on Tuesday. The department managers and cultural groups' presentations were expected to wrap up this morning (Wednesday).
City council will take the wish lists into budget talks this month as it figures out how best to spend an estimated $284 million in revenues.
Most city managers are asking for additional staff to meet the pressures in the ever-growing city. This morning, Coquitlam RCMP was set to request four extra Mounties for the detachment.
Steblin said the city has done well over the past year and pointed to some of its achievements including completing the Partington Creek Neighbourhood Plan, setting a 10-year sports field strategy and winning the 2016 BC Seniors' summer games.
And, on the horizon for next year, are:
designing and building a covered dry floor facility near Dogwood Pavilion;
starting the Burquitlam/Lougheed Neighbourhood Plan;
partnering with YMCA for a new community centre in Burquitlam;
installing another artificial turf field at Town Centre Park;
co-ordinating city input for the future of Riverview Hospital;
and initiating a tourism program.
"This is a community that does take on big issues and keeps its fiscal house in order," Steblin said.
City council is expected to adopt the 2014 financial plan in December.
