The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is moving forward with a new Corporate Performance Reporting Framework, a Council-approved initiative to provide a clearer, more consistent picture of how municipal services are performing, how efficiently resources are being used, and where improvements may be needed.
As part of this work, the Town has retained FieldForce4, an independent consulting firm, to establish a performance baseline beginning with three priority areas: Roads, Integrated Water, and Parks. These areas represent the first phase of a broader corporate initiative that will expand to other Town services over time. Funding for this first phase was approved by Council through the Strategic Reserve.
Every Town service will ultimately be measured against four consistent categories: Community Impact, Service Level, Efficiency, and Customer Service. This represents a significant step for Niagara-on-the-Lake. Outside of Fire Services, this is the first time the Town has introduced a formal, corporate approach to key performance indicators (KPIs) and ongoing service-performance measurement. The framework will allow the Town to consistently track service costs, how much work is completed, customer satisfaction, and the impact services have on the community. Over time, this data will support better-informed decisions about service levels, staffing and resource allocation, while helping identify opportunities to reduce unproductive staff time and improve how work is planned and delivered.
The framework is intended to complement the individual service concerns and feedback the Town receives by helping identify broader trends and recurring issues. It is designed to give the Town an ongoing, data-based picture of service delivery, updated annually, so patterns can be identified, and improvements can address underlying issues over time.
"Residents deserve to know that their tax dollars are being used effectively, and this framework gives us a real, ongoing way to measure that instead of relying on impressions," said Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa. "This is about building a municipality that holds itself accountable, year over year."
FieldForce4's review will look closely at how work is planned and carried out in the three priority areas, including how staff time and resources are used day-to-day. This includes examining scheduling, productivity, work processes, and opportunities to improve service delivery. Baseline data collection is underway, with the first full results expected to come before Council in 2027.
“This is another example of the proactive approach we're taking to transforming how the Town operates. Rather than waiting for problems or relying on anecdotal information, we're building the tools to understand our performance, identify opportunities for improvement and make decisions based on data,” said CAO Nick Ruller. “Outside of Fire Services, this is the first time we've established this kind of systematic performance measurement across our operations. Meaningful KPIs will help us understand service levels, productivity and how staff time and resources are being used, so we can continuously improve how we deliver services to the community.”
The Town continues to welcome specific service concerns from residents while this work is underway. Details such as the time, date, and location of an issue provide staff with concrete information that can be reviewed and can help inform the baseline data being developed. Residents are encouraged to continue reporting these concerns through the Town's regular service request channels. The work beginning in Roads, Water/Wastewater, and Parks represents the first phase of the Corporate Performance Reporting Framework, which will expand to other Town services over time.
Media Contact:
Quinton Ascah, Communications Coordinator
905-468-3266 | communications@notl.com