Efficiencies and improvements

The City of Waterloo has a strong culture of identifying and implementing efficiencies, as well as undertaking continuous improvement efforts. The ongoing efforts of finding efficiencies and continuous improvements directly supports the City's ability to undertake additional work throughout the year. Indirectly, these ongoing efforts allow the City to offer enhanced service to taxpayers.

Efficiencies have been critical in order to continue to deliver services effectively while keeping tax increases as low as possible. City staff are committed to continuous improvements, collaborating with our neighbouring cities on joint service initiatives and looking for other innovative ways to identify efficiencies. The 2024-2026 staff tabled budget includes $1.6M (or 1.75% property tax savings) in efficiencies and improvements.

Efficiencies and improvements may fall into more than one theme:

• Effort leading to cost savings;
• Effort that is a quality enhancement/leads to enhanced service;
• Effort that builds capacity, repurposes resources, or avoids costs;
• Effort that is a revenue enhancement

Some 2023 efficiencies and continuous improvement efforts include:

• Interpretation services - Implementation of Voyce Language Services: enhanced support for all residents to engage in services offered by the City of Waterloo.
• Dog licensing service improvements - transfer of dog licensing to third party service provider. Use of a third party service provider reduces the level of staff resources required to support this service delivery to residents as well as enhance services through improved web processing, which will also increase licensing compliance and revenue generation.
• Purchase of zero emissions vehicles - the acquisition of zero-emissions vehicles that are in line with our operational needs, aiming to reduce fuel and repair expenses while decreasing the City's total greenhouse gas emissions. In 2023, six internal combustion engine vehicles were replaced with new zero-emissions vehicles.
• Streamlined development approvals - in 2023 the City completed various initiatives to modernize our development approvals process and improve operational efficiencies, funded by the provincial Streamline Development Approval Fund (SDAF). The SDAF is an important tool to support municipal partners so that housing can be brought to market faster. It recognizes that the province and municipalities need to work together to increase the supply of housing and make housing more affordable for Ontarians. Under the fund, the City of Waterloo received $1,000,000. The City advanced twelve different initiatives under the SDAF to streamline development applications, and made significant strides to address application backlogs and modernize planning processes through investments in technology.