Focus Group Feedback
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Focus Group Feedback
•“ One of the main effects of reporting is that it sticks municipalities in a compliance-of-the-moment mentality, and prevents them from being pro-active and forward-looking.” – Focus Group Participant
•“ It is more the case that reporting to the province is done because it is mandatory, not because it generates value. If municipalities saw the value of the data they collect for reporting, they would be eager to co-ordinate, participate and find the utility of the reporting.” – Focus Group Participant
•“ One major struggle is that municipalities don’ t always know what the data is used for, and the province doesn’ t communicate about the value of the information that is being collected.” – Focus Group Participant
10 Q1 2017 www. amcto. com
reporting process, AMCTO members say they wonder how much of the data they report are duplicated, of value, or shared with stakeholders.
While conducting its research, AMCTO attempted to draft a master list, but Johal acknowledges that it is only a start.
“ Although we did our best to collect a list, it would be helpful for the province to produce an official list for transparency’ s sake,” he said.
The province uses reporting to hold the municipal sector accountable in a number of areas. However, the reporting function has grown excessively and in direct correlation to the number of services a municipality provides.
“ Fulfilling our municipal reporting obligation to the province is very onerous,” said Kim Wingrove, chief administrative officer for Grey County.“ Many of the data points collected are not outcome-type measures and don’ t provide data to assist with decisionmaking. Providing municipal staff with a better understanding of the outcomes of these data collections and how they are being utilized would be beneficial.”
While some municipalities provide fewer than 90 reports annually, others may be responsible for more than 200 a year. For instance, in 2012 the City of Toronto documented that it submitted about 270 reports to 11 separate provincial ministries or agencies, not considering grant-based reporting or audits.
The result? Municipal employees said they now find it difficult to keep up with the reporting for which they are responsible, while at the same time maintaining service delivery in their communities.
Focus group participants spoke at length about the historical nature of reporting compliance. The province most often asks local government staff to look back in time, whereas service delivery challenges exist in the present and innovation requires municipal staff to look forward. Some participants felt their reporting obligations impacted their ability to be pro-active and future-oriented.
“ Staff are challenged with the lack of time and resources to undertake the kind of trend or sensitivity analysis that