NOTE REGARDING NEXT STEPS AND IMPLEMENTATION This Service Efficiency Study provides advice and recommendations to the City Manager and was conducted in consultation with the Division. The Study identifies actions and directions that could result in more efficient and effective service delivery, organizational and operational arrangements and associated savings. The City Manager will work closely with senior management to determine which of the actions are feasible and can be implemented, implementation methods and timeframe and estimated savings. In some cases, further study may be required; in other cases the actions may not be deemed feasible. Implementation will be conducted using various methods and may be reported through annual operating budget processes or in a report to Council or an applicable Board, where specific authorities are necessary. In all cases, implementation will comply with collective agreements, human resource policies and legal obligations. Preliminary estimated savings have been identified in the study by year where possible. In some cases savings have been included in the 2012 budget submission. Achievement of these savings is highly dependent on the viability of these actions as determined by senior management, timeframes, and other implementation considerations. The Corporation of the City of Toronto Service Efficiency Study Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation Division FINAL REPORT March 2012 Submitted by: In association with: LeisurePlan International Inc. 7501 Keele St, Suite 300 Vaughan, ON L4K 1Y2 20 Maud Street Tel : 905.660.1060, ext. 230 Toronto, ON Fax : 905.660.7812 M5V 2M5 E-mail: [email protected] SERVICE EFFICIENCY STUDY: TORONTO PF&R DIVISION MARCH 2012 FINAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... I SUMMARY OF COSTS AND SAVINGS/REVENUE GENERATION ................................................................................... IX ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CONTRIBUTION .................................................................................................. X 1 - INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 PURPOSE OF THE REPORT ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 NEED FOR THE STUDY .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ......................................................................................................... 1 1.4 STUDY FOCUS ................................................................................................................................................. 2 1.5 STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT .......................................................................................... 3 2 – METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH ................................................................................................................ 4 2.1 FACILITATED APPROACH ................................................................................................................................ 5 2.2 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ........................................................................................................................ 6 2.2.1 Approach to the Interviews .................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.2 Approach to the Informal Focus Group Discussions ............................................................................. 7 2.3 CAVEATS AND DATA LIMITATIONS ................................................................................................................ 7 3 - BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT ...................................................................................................................... 8 3.1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................................ 8 4 - ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................................................ 11 4.1 GOLF COURSES ............................................................................................................................................. 11 4.1.1 Jurisdictional Review ........................................................................................................................... 11 4.1.2 Current Municipal Service Provision for Golf .................................................................................... 14 4.1.3 Revenues and Expenditures for Golf .................................................................................................... 15 4.1.4 Privatization of Golf Course Maintenance .......................................................................................... 20 4.1.2 Observations, Considerations and Recommendations for City Golf Operations ................................. 21 4.2 SKI HILLS ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 4.2.1 Current Municipal Service Provision .................................................................................................. 23 4.2.2 Programming, Public Use and Fees (Earl Bales) ............................................................................... 24 4.2.3 Operational Performance Benchmarks ............................................................................................... 25 4.2.4 Service Planning and Delivery Issues .................................................................................................. 28 4.2.5 Comparable Operational Approaches ................................................................................................. 31 4.2.6 Observation, Considerations and Recommendations for Ski Hill Operations ..................................... 33 4.3 FARMS .......................................................................................................................................................... 38 4.3.1 Jurisdictional Review ........................................................................................................................... 38 4.3.2 Operational Context and Operating Models ....................................................................................... 40 4.3.3 Observations, Considerations and Recommendations for City Operated Farms ................................ 43 4.4 PARKS MAINTENANCE .................................................................................................................................. 48 4.4.1 Jurisdictional Review ........................................................................................................................... 49 4.4.2 Approaches to Service Delivery ........................................................................................................... 51 4.4.3 Alternative Funding Approaches ......................................................................................................... 57 4.4.4 Alternative Saving Approaches ............................................................................................................ 61 4.4.5 Key Observations, Opportunities and Recommendations .................................................................... 61 4.5 RECREATION SERVICE PLANNING................................................................................................................. 64 4.5.1 Trends from Other Jurisdictions: Alternative Service Delivery Associated With Municipal Recreation Programs ............................................................................................................................................................. 64 4.5.2 PF&R-Recreation Programs and Services- Synopsis of Current Situation ......................................... 72 4.5.3 Future Directions and recommended actions ...................................................................................... 80 4.6 COMMUNITY CENTRES/FACILITIES ............................................................................................................... 84 4.6.1 Trends from Other Jurisdictions: Alternative Service Delivery Associated With Municipal Community Centres 84 4.6.2 PF&R: Community Centre Management and Operation .................................................................... 88 SERVICE EFFICIENCY STUDY: TORONTO PF&R DIVISION MARCH 2012 FINAL REPORT 4.6.3 Future Directions ................................................................................................................................. 92 5 – SUMMARY OBSERVATIONS, CONSIDERATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............................. 95 5.1 RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................................................... 95 5.2 SUMMARY OF COSTS AND SAVINGS/REVENUE GENERATION ..................................................................... 110 Appendix A: Bibliography Appendix B: Comparable Municipal/Public Sector Ski Hill Operations Appendix C: Community Development Experiences