Key recommendations from the review focus on improving the reputation of the District in the development community by improving and streamlining service delivery and creating a true customer centric culture.

The review, conducted over the past year by staff and consultants with input from community members, staff and stakeholders is part of the Service Squamish Initiative to achieve excellence in local government in Squamish. Planning, Building, Environment and Trails Services staff are enthusiastic to move the plan forward and to raise the bar on service quality, structure, processes and the effectiveness of planning, building, environment and trails services in the District of Squamish.

Five key areas probed through the review and interviews included the following:

• Service Quality
• Structure
• General Processes
• Focus
• Effectiveness

Highlights of the key recommendations from the Planning, Building, Environment and Trails Services Core Review Report:

Reputation

• Work to optimize staff resources and simplifying processes and ensuring consistent application of policy and regulation.
• Clarify of the District’s vision relative to Economic Development.
• Communicate with the development community around plans, roles and progress relative to Planning, Building, Environment and Trails Services.
• Strengthen engagement with key stakeholders will help to better align decisions making.
• Build a high performing team in order to ensure confident stakeholders.

Service Delivery

• Work to simplify and communicate the District’s policies and processes.
• Educate applicants to better understand the development process thereby assisting in the process.
• Research and deliver better ways to utilize technology and innovation as a means to improve service delivery.
• Deliver Service Excellence

People/Staff

• Ensure that ‘the right person is in the right place at the right time.’
• Engage and enable staff.
• Ensure that clear performance expectations are set for staff and training and support is provided.
• Empower staff to suggest ways to improve practices and make changes and then act on those suggestions.
• Change organizational structure and empower staff to ensure policies and processes meet the needs of the customer. (Customer Centric Culture)
• Ensure Organizational and Cost Effectiveness.

Planning, Building, Environment and Trails Services and the community will see exciting change in the coming months and the District of Squamish is confident that these changes will help staff to deliver outstanding development services.

Review the full Planning, Building, Environment and Trails Services Core Review Report. 

Service Squamish Initiative
In April 2010 the Service Squamish Initiative was introduced by the District of Squamish to envision a new approach to achieving excellence in local government for its residents, investors, Council and employees. This core service review of the Planning, Building, Environment and Trails Services function is the sixth in a series of reviews conducted between February 2010 and January 2012.