KITCHENER – Much like students awaiting grades in school, the City of Kitchener received its annual Citizen Report Card today from Compass Kitchener, a 12-member committee of volunteers who advise council as members of the community.
“2017 marks the end of the third year of a four-year strategic plan and we are starting to see meaningful results that are important to citizens and the future success of our city,” says Laurie Majcher, Kitchener’s manager of strategic and business planning.
The citizen report card delivers a letter grade for each of the city’s five strategic priorities:
Strategic Priority | Grade |
Open Government | A- |
Strong & Resilient Economy | B |
Safe & Thriving Neighbourhoods | B+ |
Sustainable Environment & Infrastructure | A |
Effective & Efficient City Services | B+ |
“Success is measured from our perspective as citizens of this community, based on how well the City is moving ahead with the commitments included in Kitchener’s 2015-2018 strategic plan,” says Vice-chair of Compass Kitchener Judy Stephens-Wells. “This report card captures a snapshot of 2016/2017 achievements and challenges within each of the five strategic priorities.”
As part of the measurement process, Compass Kitchener:
- held discussion sessions with members of 10 different citizen advisory committee’s to collect their opinions on the City’s accomplishments
- reviewed the progress on more than 100 city projects and programs, and evaluated the benefits of this work for citizens
- discussed key achievements and areas that needed attention for the future
Committee members then assessed progress against each strategic priority and assigned a letter grade to reflect the overall performance of the city in each area.
"As you can tell from the grades we have assigned, Compass Kitchener has viewed the City's progress with this strategic plan as very positive," states Judy Stephens-Wells. "The strategic plan is ambitious and while there are areas we have identified that will benefit from focused attention moving forward, it is very exciting to see the extent to which advances are being made across all five strategic initiatives, especially with respect to sustainable environment and infrastructure, and open government.”
“I am very proud of our four year strategic planning cycle and the fact it engages a citizen’s committee like Compass Kitchener so comprehensively,” says Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “Committee members participate in an extensive evaluation process and we look forward to the valuable feedback they provide every year. Committee members, staff and council have a strong partnership that is unique in comparison to other municipalities. The committee’s objective insights help us build trust with citizens and provides a benchmark for staff and council. I am thrilled with the accomplishments that have been recognized through this evaluation and appreciate the constructive feedback on areas requiring additional focus in the coming year.”
In addition to Compass Kitchener’s citizen report card, the city also measures and reports on progress on the implementation of the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan through updates on the aligning business plan three times per year.
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