ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: July 12, 1996
Dept. File No. IST
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: City Manager
SUBJECT: Neighbourhood Integrated Service Teams
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council receive the report on Neighbourhood Integrated
Service Delivery for information.
B. THAT Council approve funding of $23,000.00 for information
kiosks at all City branch libraries, and a communications
program to introduce Neighbourhood Integrated Service Teams
to their communities in the Fall of 1996. Source of funds to
be Contingency Reserve.
COUNCIL POLICY
On September 27, 1994, Council approved the Neighbourhood Integrated
Service Delivery Model for City operations.
On November 9, 1995, Council approved a City Communications Strategy
that acknowledges the need to reflect the City's diversity in order to
enhance Council's objective of involving all Vancouver residents in
their local government.
PURPOSE
This report outlines for Council the progress achieved through
Neighbourhood Integrated Service Teams to date, and establishes a
communication strategy for the City to formally announce the teams in
local communities. This report also outlines the development of
information city kiosks in six initial branch libraries that will
provide access to City information and services for citizens in local
areas.
BACKGROUND
Council adopted a framework for the development of a Neighbourhood
Integrated Service Delivery System on September 27, 1994. The new model
was developed to ensure open City government, and to provide an
effective community-based City service delivery system. It was apparent
many communities wanted closer links with the City, and opportunities to
participate in and support services which would help make communities
safer and more pleasant places.
The goals for the Neighbourhood Integrated Service Teams are:
to ensure accessible, efficient, effective and friendly service
delivery;
to establish approaches at a neighbourhood level on issues and
service;
to involve the community in issue identification and problem
solving;
to generate creative, collaborative problem solving;
to provide the community ready access to City information.
Neighbourhood Integrated Service Teams are an example of Better City
Government at work. They provide a vehicle for the coordination of many
cross-department functions like the Civic Youth Strategy, Community
Based Policing, and special City initiatives such as Keep Vancouver
Spectacular. As well, on a daily basis team members work with community
members to respond to issues that emerge. The development of the
Neighbourhood Service Team has precipitated within internal departments
a change in referral processes and sharing of information that has
helped to expedite problem-solving.
Each Neighbourhood Integrated Service Team is made up of City staff
from: Fire, Library, Police, Parks, Engineering, Permits and Licenses,
Planning, Social Planning and Environmental Health, as well as
representatives from the Vancouver School Board and Regional Health
Board.
Since March, 1995, Neighbourhood Integrated Service Teams have been
developing and are now operating in 15 communities within Vancouver.
The Teams are located in the following areas of the City:
West End Kensington/Cedar Cottage
Downtown Renfrew-Collingwood
Strathcona West Point Grey/Dunbar-Southlands
Grandview-Woodland Arbutus Ridge/Shaughnessy/Kerrisdale
Hastings-Sunrise Oakridge/Marpole
Kitsilano/Fairview Sunset
Mount Pleasant Victoria-Fraserview/Killarney
South Cambie/Riley Park
Each Team has set up its own working arrangements (when, where and how
often to meet), its own way of responding to local issues, its own
method of involving resources from City Hall, and its own way of
involving the impacted citizens in the local area. Examples of the kind
of issues solved by the Neighbourhood Integrated Service Team are
attached in Appendix A.
Generally, teams meet every 3-4 weeks for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, and converse
sometimes daily with one another by phone, e-mail, or through Internet.
Staff who sit on the Neighbourhood Integrated Service Team as department
representatives are the link back to the department, to access the
appropriate staff to be involved in the local area issue.
In order for Neighbourhood Integrated Service Teams to communicate
regularly and make timely responses to issues raised in the community
(regardless of their work locations and varied works schedules), all
staff working on the Neighbourhood Integrated Service Teams have been
trained on the use of the Internet, and all have access to computers
which are linked to one another. Team members are spread throughout the
City in many locations and have varied work schedules. The Internet
allows members within Teams to keep in touch via Internet electronic
mail and network news groups.
Thus far, the technology has been a useful facilitator for internal
information exchanges. It has also helped to integrate Team members
from agencies not organizationally connected with the City or its
internal communications systems such as the Vancouver School Board and
the Vancouver Health Board.
The Neighbourhood Integrated Service Team is a resource for not only
citizens in neighbourhoods, but for non-profit agencies, businesses,
schools, and crime prevention offices serving local areas. Staff
working for the Regional Health Board and Vancouver School Board are
also represented on some teams.
The concepts of Neighbourhood Integrated Service Delivery and enhanced
communications via the Internet tie into a similar ideal: that access
to information, officials and services should be as close to residents
as possible - not just at City Hall - and at a time of day that is
convenient to them. By combining the following initiatives, the
community will have increased knowledge, access and understanding of
City services.
DISCUSSION
This report proposes the development of information kiosks and Internet
terminals at six City libraries (Renfrew, Hastings, Champlain Heights,
Kitsilano, Oakridge, and Dunbar by the end of October, with the
remaining by the end of 1996), that inform and educate residents about
the role of Neighbourhood Integrated Service Teams and to implement
opportunities in the communities for direct linkage to information.
CITY INFORMATION KIOSKS
Using the branch libraries as a community information outlet, staff are
creating City information kiosks at branch libraries. The kiosks,
custom designed for each location, will have internet capable computers,
as well as hard copy information for pick-up by the public. Staff from
departments have begun to gather existing brochures, pamphlets, and
newsletters, for placement in kiosks. Information on who the
Neighbourhood Integrated Service Team members are and how to contact
them, as well as identifying Council members and how to contact them
will be provided. Design work in the Planning Department is underway to
create a readily identifiable "look" for the kiosks, one that would tie
in with the Internet-accessible computer in that branch.
Internet-capable computers will be installed in six branches of the
Vancouver Public Library by October, 1996. With these computers,
residents will be able to directly contact members of their local
Neighbourhood Integrated Service Team, as well as other staff and
elected officials via e-mail. As well, these terminals will deliver
significant amounts of current information about City programs and
services by means of the City's home page on the World Wide Web service
of the Internet.
COMMUNICATION PROGRAM
The entire public needs to be aware of the concept of Neighbourhood
Integrated Service Delivery, and the enhanced information capabilities
available at Vancouver Public Library branches. The launching of this
service is targeted for mid-September. Two pilots are currently
underway. Because there is such a strong neighbourhood focus to this
new form of customer service, innovation will be required to tailor
information delivery to the diverse communities serviced by
Neighbourhood Service Teams.
Where a community newspaper may be appropriate for one community, flyer
distribution and small meetings will be more effective in another in
order to facilitate a communities awareness of the convenience of the
local library to get access to City information.
Teams will work with the Communication Advisor to determine the most
effective messages for each community, and the most effective means to
deliver them.
Funding requested in this report is $23,000. There are two components
of this funding:
- the first part, $6,000, is for the cost of advertising, media
relations, meetings (likely held in City facilities in
neighbourhoods at no direct rental cost), translations, printing
and associated activities. Internal staff and community resources
will be used.
- the second part of funding requested in this report includes
$17,000 to design and implement a consistent and easily
recognizable City kiosk. The $17,000 includes the hardware cost of
$15,000 for the modular information kiosks that will be located in
all City libraries. $2,000 is for additional staff time for
Planning Graphics staff, who are designing the kiosks.
STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
The communications activities outlined above will enhance customer
service in a number of ways. Residents will have more effective access
to staff who can directly assist with community problems. Residents and
staff will have greater access to information about programs and
services. Staff will spend less time researching and answering
repetitive queries and more time on direct service.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There has been considerable investment in training Integrated Service
Team members. Resources have been devoted to equipping them with the
tools and skills to communicate effectively amongst themselves and with
our communities. At the same time, considerable time and effort have
gone into developing a City information resource on the Internet. The
funding proposed here will complete the loop, letting the broader
community know how to take full advantage of and access to these new
forms of customer service.
CONCLUSION
The Neighbourhood Integrated Service Delivery Model is serving Vancouver
communities effectively and efficiently and is responding to the
changing demands of the diverse community. Staff and the community have
responded positively with creative problem-solving and collaborative
approaches. This is the City doing its business at a local level. It
is important to let more of Vancouver residents know how to access the
Neighbourhood Services Team.
* * * * *
Appendix A
Case Studies Illustrating Work Undertaken by Different Teams
1. A vacant house in a residential area became the centre for
illegal activity. Squatters had begun using the house, drug
use and criminal activity (sex-trade) was prevalent. Needles
were commonly found thrown in the yard. Break-ins and
violence began to take place in the neighbourhood, and the
neighbours felt unsafe on their own street. Both the front
and back yards were full of garbage.
Integrated Service Team members took the following steps:
inspections were arranged involving Permits and Licenses
and Health;
Police undertook a specialized investigation due to the
nature of criminal activity in the house;
the owner of the property was advised of the problem which
was occurring, and of the impact on the community;
the demolition permit was expedited and the house was
demolished within a month of the problem arising.
(Neighbours who actually attended the demolition advised
staff how thankful they were for the intervention.)
2. A small "remanant woodland" in a community had become a place
to dump garden rubbish. Two of the community groups
approached IST to ask for help with clean up and ongoing
maintenance/monitoring.
Engineering posted "No Dumping" signs, and took away
dumped materials;
Parks relocated some trees from off-site
Team worked with 25 residents to schedule a "clean-up" day
and to plan for future planting.
3. A traffic problem emerged in a residential area. An
increased amount of traffic was speeding through the area.
The lane is shared with homeowners, schools and a church.
Planning met with institutions backing on to the lane for
funding to install speed bumps and signs;
Engineering did a cost analysis for speed bumps;
Police monitored traffic violators more closely.
The institutions involved contributed to the cost of speed
bumps and signs to be installed. Engineering put in the
speed bumps which resulted in significant traffic calming.