The threat cannot be more obvious. At the present run rate, your Niagara Region taxes will double in seven or eight years. Less ominously, Pelham’s taxes will double in 14 years at the present rate of increase. Challenging times are here, and it will take tough decisions to overcome them.
Taxpayers are asserting their rights to an explanation for the large property tax increases; they are demanding accountability; they are seeking assurances that increases of this size will end. Our residents must hear what action we will take to mount an effective response.
‘Business as usual’ cannot be where this story ends. The future cannot be a perpetuation of the recent past. With advice pouring in from many quarters, how could I refrain from contributing another perspective?
Start with the end in mind
It is far easier to ‘reverse engineer’ a process when you know the desired result. Rather than saying, ‘ What do you need to do the job’?, we should be saying, ‘Here’s what we can afford to spend, now let’s figure out how we can meet our community objectives’. The current approach almost guarantees that the affordability challenges will not be addressed.
Make every day a strategic planning day
Winning today won’t buy you tomorrow’s game but what you learn today will affect tomorrow’s game. One needs to learn—from mistakes and from successes. We employ a superior staff, and they all need to be focused on finding savings and eliminating redundant processes every day.
Fix the processes, not the people
Pelham’s services are delivered through a series of processes. Developed properly, processes can be the creative forces of the Town. A detailed examination of all processes will always reveal new capabilities, while at the same time, exposing waste and redundancies to be eliminated.
Everything starts with a question
A lean system lives with questions, not answers. Here’s a quick and easy practice adopted from Japan. If you want to know the root cause of any problem, ask the question ‘why’ five times. It’s commonly known as the 5Whys method of problem solving, and it used by several of the most successful companies. 5Whys is elegant in its simplicity and it works. Try it.
Responsibility is not a burden. People do not function well from a position of self-pity. The work of leadership is to build confidence and to instigate change and new possibilities for a better, more affordable future.
