City Hall should be accountable for results, not just intentions.

City Hall service standards

Make routine approvals predictable, measurable and fast.

These standards apply when an application is complete and compliant. They cover the City’s portion of the process and do not waive provincial health, liquor, fire, building, safety or other legal requirements.

• Publish a complete checklist before an applicant spends money.
• Confirm zoning and basic eligibility early.
• Assign one responsible point of contact.
• Run internal reviews in parallel where possible rather than serially.
• Track City-controlled delay, not merely total elapsed time.
• Publish the percentage of files meeting the service standard.
• Ask applicants for structured feedback after the process.
• Identify repeat-review causes and fix the workflow rather than normalizing rework.

If we don’t measure how City Hall performs, we can’t manage it or improve it.

AI and administrative productivity

Use machines for repetitive work. Use people for judgment and public service.

Automation and AI can help with permit completeness checks, routine zoning and document pre-checks, missing-material detection, workflow routing, status communication and searches of internal technical information.

Permitting productivity dividend

Faster permitting should reduce the cost of permitting.

Benchmark Development Services using turnaround time, files completed per staff member, cost per application, repeat review cycles, customer feedback and the percentage of applications meeting service standards.

• Handle more applications without proportional staff growth
• Improve front-counter and applicant service
• Reduce backlogs
• Review whether permit fees can fall as the cost per file falls

Important distinction: permit and application fees support administration. Growth-related infrastructure charges should not become a substitute for an inefficient permitting bureaucracy.

Budget resilience stress test

Can City Hall balance the books if development slows for three years?

Before approving each five-year financial plan, publish a normal case, a slow-growth case and a severe-slowdown case.

Temporary growth revenue should not create permanent spending problems.

Major Capital Project Accountability Standard

Show what Council approved, what changed and why.

Major City projects should have one public record that preserves the complete cost, schedule, scope and financing history.

If the cost, schedule, scope or financing changes materially, show the public what changed before simply moving on.

Property tax and budget transparency

A City budget should be sustainable and understandable.

• Keep annual tax increases close to inflation where practical.
• Clearly explain increases above inflation.
• Show the real dollar effect on representative households and businesses.
• Separate ongoing revenue from one-time or growth-related revenue.
• Show which operating costs are growing faster than inflation and why.
• Explain what taxpayers receive for additional spending.
• Direct unexpected development or assessment growth first toward reserves, infrastructure, debt reduction or tax stabilization before creating permanent commitments.

The goal is simple: a City government we can afford in good years and slower ones.

Conflict, ethics and disclosure

Declare conflicts early and document what happens next.

Strengthen disclosure expectations for elected officials and senior staff, particularly around development, procurement and significant land transactions.

• Clear disclosure rules
• Documentation of material conflicts and recusals
• Stronger public reporting around development, procurement and significant land transactions
• A culture where conflicts are declared before controversy arises

No specific City example is included here. Any example would need independent documentation before publication.