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Council priorities

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Council priorities 2019-2022
Imagine Kelowna: vision into action

Through Imagine Kelowna, we defined our vision for the future. Now we are taking action to turn the community's vision into reality. I’m pleased to share with you Council’s priorities of the results we want to achieve or significantly advance during our 2019-2022 term. - Mayor Colin Basran

Cover of Council Priorities 2019-2022 document

Read Council priorities 2019-2022 

Council priorities 2019-2022 identifies the strategic shifts, improvements and changes that are important to Council, the community and organization. It’s an open and accessible commitment to how we will advance the Imagine Kelowna vision within this timeframe and work toward becoming the Kelowna residents told us they want to see. 

This document is an important milestone toward formalizing strategic and business planning throughout the organization so that we have a consistent process and cadence to: 

  1. Proactively evaluate the changes in our external environment
  2. Share a common vision about where the community and organization is going in the future
  3. Measure and report on our progress

2019 progress report on Council priorities 2019-2022

The interactive 2019 progress report highlights the progress we're making on Council's 2019-2022 priorities. Overall the organization reports that: 

  • 26 results are trending in the right direction 
  • 10 results show no change or this is the first year data is available 
  • Three results are not trending in the right direction​

Reporting on its progress each year is part of Council's commitment to working in a way that is citizen focused, balanced and embraces continuous improvement. 

Read the interactive 2019 progress report

Inside Council priorities 2019-2022

Learn more about our Council’s priorities for the 2019-2022 term, and the philosophy behind how the Council works together, in the sections below.

Council results

What's important to residents

Council results identify the areas where our residents want to see a difference. These are the services, programs and infrastructure that help create a great place to live. 

Community safety
  • The property crime, petty crime and drug crime rates are decreasing 
  • Residents feel safe in their communities 
  • The City and its partners are using data and analysis to understand the problems and deliver targeted responses
Social & inclusive
  • The number of people experiencing homelessness is decreasing 
  • Policy is guiding where we invest resources 
  • Inclusivity and diversity in the community are increasing
Transportation & mobility
  • Strategic transportation investments are connecting higher density urban centres identified in the Official Community Plan 
  • More trips are being made by transit, carpooling, cycling and walking 
  • Travel times within our current transportation network are being optimized 
  • Emerging technologies are making it easier to get around 
  • More opportunities to learn about transportation are provided to the community 
  • People of all ages and abilities can get around the city easily 
Vibrant neighbourhoods
  • The number of current and complete urban centre development plans is increasing 
  • Site design and architecture are high-quality and sensitive to context 
  • The housing mix provides affordable and attainable options 
  • Community amenities are accessible for residents and are multi-purpose 
  • Parks and public spaces are being animated 
  • Key sites in the city are being planned proactively 
Economic resiliency
  • The infrastructure deficit is being reduced 
  • City policies are enabling investment 
  • Top talent is living in Kelowna 
  • The economic impact of key sectors is increasing 
Environmental protection
  • Neighbourhoods and city infrastructure are resilient and adaptable to climate change 
  • Community and corporate greenhouse gas emissions are decreasing 
  • Our predictive modelling and forecasting is improving 
  • Our response to extreme weather events minimizes disruption to delivering regular operations 
Corporate results

What the organization must do to deliver results for residents

Corporate results identify the areas where the City’s administrative leadership will focus the organization to ensure we are a high-performance organization that delivers good value for money to our residents. 

Financial management
  • Lower value activities are being improved or stopped 
  • Non-tax revenues are increasing 
  • The cost to deliver services is quantified 
Clear direction
  • There is a common understanding of where the organization is going in the future 
  • Progress on Council and corporate results is measured, monitored and reported 
  • Divisional/departmental plans show how we are advancing the Council and corporate results and outline key operational initiatives 
  • Divisions and departments have meaningful performance measures that are reviewed regularly 
  • Innovation is encouraged and supported throughout the organization 
  • Services, processes and business activities are being transformed 
People
  • The ability to attract, select and retain the right people is improving 
  • Collaboration within the organization, and with external stakeholders, is improving problem solving 
  • Staff engagement has increased 
  • Organizational values have shifted to prepare us for the future 
Council: the way we work

As Council, we commit to working together as a team to make advancements in the areas that are important to residents in the community. 

Citizen focused

Multiple perspectives and productive dialogue make for better outcomes. Involving our diverse residents and communities in decision-making, alongside subject-matter experts, is important to create a community for everyone. Increasingly, the issues we face are part of complex systems that require us to work together with organizations across the community.

Accessible

Council wants to have constructive conversations through a variety of channels. Information is readily available to enable productive debate, and our work is presented in plain language. Meaningful engagement is a foundation to empowering residents to be part of building solutions.

Balanced

Most decisions require trade-offs. We will seek to create a resilient and sustainable community by balancing economic, financial, social and environmental considerations to achieve the short- and long-term goals of the community. We will focus on concrete actions and increase advocacy with other levels of government and organizations.

Fair and firm

Clear expectations and consistency help businesses make investment decisions. This will be important as Kelowna continues to grow. Council will set the tone for these conversations through respectful and constructive dialogue. 

Continuous improvement

Council is united by its pragmatic leadership style and a desire to continuously improve beyond the status quo. Decisions grounded in evidence empower Council to be adaptable and open to adjusting the way forward as new information becomes available.