CIVIC SERVICES - MRM REPORT
Introduction
In June 1998, the City of Winnipeg released its Management Reference Model (MRM) for Government Services, Focus on Winnipeg Services, which detailed the full extent of services delivered by the City – 260 public and 65 internal services.
The MRM Report, along with another report released that month by the City’s Committee on Tax Reform entitled Rethinking Taxation, Making Winnipeg Competitive, provided a framework and the necessary tools for the City to shape its core mandate and properly address the level of civic expenditures and taxation. However, almost a decade has passed and little has happened. The MRM Report appears to be gathering dust on a shelf.
Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Recommendations:
The Chamber encourages the City to re-visit the work done around the MRM report.
The Chamber continues to endorse the following recommendations it adopted in June 1999:
· Have the control, design framework, regulation and licensing powers, and supervision of core services remain under the auspices of the City to ensure community interests and standards are met, while reducing expenditures.
· Community Services - Shift responsibility for services such as counselling, instruction and training to the Province under the Departments of Health or Education and Training. Consider contracting out or other alternative service delivery mechanisms for services, such as leisure facilities.
· Emergency Response - Divest the City of all emergency response services with the exception of fire and fire-related services, in keeping with the practices of other Canadian urban centres. Provide medical and ambulance services by the Province, or more directly by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
· Police – Continue having the City provide police services.
· Property and Development – Continue having the City deliver services.
· Public Works – Contract out, but the City retains services related to permission and licensing.
· Water and Waste – Retain services pertaining to consulting, granting, permission and promotion with the City. Other services, with the exception of potable water production and distribution, should be contracted out.
· Transit – Make Transit a Special Operating Agency (SOA).
· Internal Services (finance) – Contract out auditing, but retain other services.
· Internal Services (human resources) – Contract out collective bargaining and portions of payroll and benefits administration, but retain other services.
Adopted by The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce board of directors, May 2007