June 7, 2006
Municipal Managers:
Attached is the summary report of the Municipal Management Needs Assessment. It outlines municipal managers’ perspectives on what their needs are for management information, advice, education and training. It also details what some municipalities are doing to address these needs and provides a table that shows where to find some 75 resources to meet these needs.
This report represents the findings from a survey of a diverse range of 250 municipal managers across Ontario, along with interviews with more than 75 CAOs and senior management staff from more than 50 municipalities. The ministry appreciates the efforts of those managers who shared with us their experience and discussed how the associations and the ministry could help address their needs.
Dozens of needs were brought to our attention. We organized these into a number of key, specific needs and illustrated how addressing these specific needs will help advance municipal corporate management.
We hope this report will help you, your associations, the ministry and academic institutions working with the municipal sector to develop appropriate strategies - strategies that will allow us to continue to effectively serve citizens.
I would like to acknowledge the work of the Steering Committee that guided this joint municipal-provincial initiative. Chaired by Curry Clifford, Manager with the Municipal Performance and Accountability Branch of the ministry, the committee included, Nigel Bellchamber, General Manager, Ontario Municipal Administrators’ Association; Dan Cowin, Executive Director, Municipal Finance Officers’ Association; Andy Koopmans, Executive Director, Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario; and John Maddox, Director of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s Municipal Services Office – Southwest.
Your comments on the report would be most welcomed. Please contact any of the associations’ executive directors, the ministry’s Municipal Services Offices or Curry Clifford at curry.clifford@mah.gov.on.ca (phone: 416-585-7581).
Thank you,
Dana Richardson
Assistant Deputy Minister
Local Government Division