The Town of Saugeen Shores says it’s doing some organizational restructuring to better prepare for growth as it expands into what’s considered a mid-sized municipality.
Council approved the changes at its meeting Monday night after a municipal service delivery review was done by the consulting firm StrategyCorp.
It will reduce the number of departments from six to four, plus the Office of the CAO. The four departments will be fire services, corporate services, development services and community services & operations. If approved in the 2022 budget, the restructure would also and add seven positions.
The consultants explained in a presentation, that while the Town has committed staff who are dedicated to providing high-quality services to residents, and that it’s a, “Well-run organization with a secure financial position,” consultants also found there was poor inter-departmental collaboration creating a silo effect. They also said there should be key performance indicators and service standards across the organization and there is a need for a consistent communications framework between Council and administration and across departments, to avoid resulting in siloes and misinformation.
It recommended improving staffing levels and responsibilities to address gaps in service. The consultants also recommended the Town improve its processes related to annual budgets and financial reporting.
The Town plans to make this transition over the next two years.
A staff report to council says the cost of the organizational structure changes will be presented and approved in the annual business planning and budgeting process for 2022 / 2023. The annualized additional salary budget is projected to be $329,771 in 2022 and $397,705 in 2023.
Mayor Luke Charbonneau says in a statement, “We engaged Strategy Corp so we could learn how we can improve as an organization and better serve our community,” adding “Saugeen Shores is a growing community, so we can’t stand still. We need to modernize, be more efficient, and work together so we can continue to provide the services that
make our community a desirable place to call home and have a business.”