The State of Our City is Strong, Says Mayor

It's that time of year again, time for the state of the city. And undoubtedly, the state of the city, as presented my Mayor Karen Farbridge, is strong. The following is a press release from the City of Guelph, outlining what's contained within the Mayor's address, along with some helpful links to the full text of it and the visual aids that accompany it.

Read more after the jump.

GUELPH, ON, November 1, 2012 - In her annual State of the City address this morning, Mayor Karen Farbridge stressed the importance of transforming the way the City does business.

She proposed that doing business differently - a major theme of the City’s new strategic plan, “Our City- Our Future” – is about transforming the City’s relationships both inside and outside City Hall.

Guelph’s local government is a significant enterprise with an annual budget of more than $400 million and more than $1.5 billion in capital assets.

“As a community, we enjoy one of the lowest unemployment and crime rates, and highest quality of life,” noted the Mayor. “The City’s new mission drives the organization to be the best run city as well.”

The strategic plan approved by Council earlier this year, provides the framework to drive this transformation from a traditional service provider to an institution that also engages and inspires change.

She gave examples of initiatives that illustrate this transformation, including:

• A new business case tool that has been used to identify significant energy savings over the next two decades.
• A new internal audit function that enables robust risk-based reviews of City services to ensure value for money for taxpayers.
• A corporate technology strategy that embraces new opportunities for Open Government.
• A wholly-updated Official Plan and transformational Downtown Secondary Plan that are delivering results. 
• The establishment of Guelph Municipal Holding Incorporated to manage corporate assets for community benefit.
• A Community Wellbeing Initiative that has set a new standard for community engagement and citizen-centred service.

“Council and the Administration are eager to shape the community’s future in a bold way”, says Mayor Farbridge.

The complete text of Mayor Farbridge’s State of the City address can be found here. To view the presentation click here. More information about the City’s finances and services can be found in the City’s annual Making a Difference: Community and Financial Report.