Council priorities for 2015-2018

Late in the evening on Monday, May 6, Calgary City Council approved Council Priorities which will provide the necessary direction to administration to build their 2015 – 2018 business plans and budgets, Action Plan 2015 - 2018.

Council Priorities for 2015 – 2018 are very closely aligned to the top priority areas identified in the Action Plan citizen engagement in March. Council Priorities encompass five key themes:

• A prosperous city – Calgary continues to grow as a magnet for talent, a place where there is opportunity for all, and the best place in Canada to start and grow a business.
• A city of inspiring neighbourhoods – Every Calgarian lives in a safe, mixed and just neighbourhood, and has the opportunity to participate in civic life.
• A city that moves – People and goods can move well and safely throughout the city, using a variety of convenient, affordable, accessible and efficient transportation choices.
• A healthy and green city – We steward our air, land and water while encouraging healthy lifestyles for all Calgarians.
• A well-run city – Calgary’s government is open, responsive, accountable and transparent, delivering excellent services at a fair price. We work with our government partners to ensure we have the tools we need.

Council reviewed many inputs before setting Council Priorities including: global, national and local trends, such City strategic plans and guiding documents as Imagine!Calgary, the Municipal Development Plan and Calgary Transportation Plan, along with The City’s long-range financial plan, economic indicators and, of course, citizen engagement.

Council Priorities are set to help guide each department as they create their business plans and budgets for the next four years. They define four-year priorities to ensure that City departments work together to achieve the right balance in quality public services while keeping tax rates affordable.

City staff will now use Council Priorities, along with other inputs including the indicative rates and fees, citizen engagement, trends, economic indicators and the needs of day to day operations, to draft their business unit and departmental business plans and budgets.

A high level summary of these draft plans will be presented by each department at five respective Standing Policy Committee meetings in September. Citizens and stakeholders will have opportunities to provide comments and thoughts on the consolidated draft Action Plan 2015-2018 in mid-November. There will be a final opportunity for citizens and stakeholders to appear and present at Council’s Public Hearing at the beginning of business plan and budget debates which start November 24, 2014.

(cross-posted from City of Calgary Newsroom)