Council sets its 2022-2026 term priorities

Hello Ward 8 Neighbours,

At the June 27th General Issues Committee, Hamilton City Council set its term priorities, setting focus and strategic, achievable goals for the next four years.

For more details, please continue reading below….

After discussions at the June 27th GIC, Council agreed on the following priorities:

Council Priority: Sustainable Economic & Ecological Development
Reduce the burden on residential tax payers

• Increase new Commercial and Industrial construction by 1.4 million square feet and $500 million in construction value per year with an ecological and economic lens
• Review and adjust our planning and economic development processes to increase the tax productivity of land within the Municipality with the specific outcome to reduce the tax burden on residential tax payers.
• Create ecosystems and supports that will build a breeding ground to leverage and facilitate the growth of businesses, from start-ups to large industry, in key sectors identified in the 2021-2025 Economic Development Action Plan, including Advanced Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Food Processing, Creative Industries, Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE), Goods Movement, ICT & Digital Media, Life Sciences and Tourism Industry)

Climate Change/Decarbonization Progress

• Accelerate the City’s current Climate Change Action Plan goal of a 50% reduction in total Corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2005 Baseline by 2030, to achieve a 55% reduction by the end of 2026
• Increase urban tree canopy coverage by 2% by the end of 2026, by targeting 20,000 tree plantings per year, to move toward the goal of achieving the City’s Urban Forest Strategy target of 40% urban tree canopy coverage by 2050, prioritizing planting in neighborhoods with the greatest need
  • Tree planting priority analysis, based on Neighbourhood Tree Equity Scores, to be completed by mid-2024

Protection of Green Spaces & Water

• Increase in municipally and publicly owned natural areas, parks & public spaces (hectares)
  • Inventory to be completed by mid-2024; inventory will determine 2026 target
• Accelerate the proposed Watershed Action Plan for Council approval in 2024, followed by implementation, in order to support the delisting of Hamilton Harbour as an International Joint Commission Area of Concern

Council Priority: Safe & Thriving Neighbourhoods
Increase in Housing Units for All & Reduce Homelessness

• Facilitate the approval of 20,000 new housing units by the end of 2026, with one third being available as rental units, and including at least 10% affordable and/or permanently supportive housing units
• Preserve and maintain affordable rental stock in the private market, in addition to the 13,125 units in the non-profit sector and/or community housing
• Metric related to private market to be developed with the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative by Q4 2023
• Reduce the number of individuals who are actively homeless by 30% and facilitate increased capacity within the shelter system by the end of 2026

Improved Mobility, Accessibility & Road Safety

• Achieve Vision Zero annually
• More than double the pace of construction of new and upgraded active transportation facilities (separated bikeways, connected bikes lanes and paved multi-use pathways) from approximately 15 km per year to 40 km per year
• Increase transit ridership to pre-pandemic numbers by end of 2026, while improving accessibility for all

Council Priority: Working of City Hall & Transparency in Municipal Government
New Budget Process Implemented

• Develop a plan to transition to a revised budget process, beginning in the 2025 budget year, that:
  • Emphasises long-term financial planning through asset management principlesConsiders equity and carbon budgeting principlesIs accessible, prioritizes public engagement and promotes transparencyShifts timing of budget approval from early Q2 to mid Q1 annuallyIntegrates current operating, capital and rate budgets into 2 annual budgets (Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Rate Supported budget and a Tax Supported budget)

Improved Public Engagement
(metrics TBD as part of Public Engagement Policy & Framework report Dec 2023)

• Consistency in corporate-wide application of enterprise public engagement policies and practices
• Improved access and reduced barriers to participation for public engagement activities
  
  Efficient Customer Service & Communication
• Establish an enterprise customer service strategy by Q1 2026 that would lead to the measurement and tracking of 100% of customer interactions and implementation of enterprise customer service standards, shifting the organization culture to be more responsive and creative
• Implement customer centered design for all City initiatives through the implementation of the City’s Digital Strategy

Employer of Choice

• Corporate wide voluntary turnover rate (does not include involuntary or retirements) maintained at 7% or less, in line with industry standards
• Improve decline job offer rate
  • Currently not tracked; baseline to be set in 2024
• Improve the Employee Engagement Index in the 2024 Our People Survey (data: 2021 69.1%; 2017 69.2%)

Questions or concerns?

If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact our office