Munis 101

Munis 101: The Essentials of Municipal Governance delivers the key information and strategies that you need to excel in your role. Munis 101 is completely updated to reflect recent changes made to the Municipal Government Act, and includes best practices in everything from public participation to considering how to set tax rates.

Regional Partnerships and Collaboration

In life, and in the municipal world, working with your neighbours is not always easy. If done right, it can provide major benefits. The EOEP’s Regional Partnerships and Collaboration course will provide participants with an opportunity to learn about required collaborative tools such as intermunicipal collaboration frameworks, as well as other approaches municipalities can take to build meaningful partnerships with their municipal neighbours in a way that is fair and mutually beneficial.

Council’s Role in Strategic Planning

The role of elected officials is to lead. They determine the long-term goals and priorities of their municipality. Doing this effectively takes skill, and an understanding of how to separate the day-to-day from the big picture. The EOEP’s Council’s Role in Strategic Planning course will explain the important role that strategic planning plays in building municipal sustainability, how councils can work together to set realistic goals, the basic elements of a strategic plan, how to set and asses strategic priorities, the roles of council and staff in strategic planning, and other information that will support you and your municipality in planning strategically for both the short- and long-term.

Council’s Role in Service Delivery

Municipalities are about delivering the services that support safe, healthy and prosperous communities, and council’s role in this process is to decide what services are needed, what level they need to be delivered at, and what methods of delivery best fit the needs of the community. The EOEP’s Council’s Role in Municipal Service Delivery course will provide an overview of the various services and delivery mechanisms available to municipalities, the pros and cons of each, and how councils can made educated decisions related to service delivery.

Council’s Role in Public Engagement

Municipal councils are elected to make decision on behalf of citizens. However, in order to govern effectively and make decisions that are in the best interest of the diverse communities within municipalities, councils must be willing to consider the community’s perspectives and input when making decisions. The EOEP’s Council’s Role in Public Engagement course will provide an overview of the various ways municipalities can engage with citizens, how public input can be integrated into decision-making, the dangers and limits of involving the public in municipal decisions, and the importance of engagement in supporting sustainable community development.

Council’s Role in Land Use and Development Approval

“Good planning” is a general concept – there is no single approved statement of what good planning consists of. Planning has evolved over many years and can be considered a long term, ongoing process that includes planning itself, as well as project delivery and ongoing monitoring and evaluation. Planning aims to improve the effectiveness of public services in meeting people’s needs, and to support the development of local communities and to improve the quality of life for all.

Council’s Role in Corporate Planning and Finance

Understanding municipal finances is fundamental to the job of an elected official.  Municipal councils are expected to plan, govern and set policy for the best interests of their community.  Sound financial planning and management is key to supporting a healthy municipality that can ensure that its current and future service commitments are funded in a sustainable manner.

It is important that elected officials understand how financial planning and monitoring align with the municipality’s business cycle, including strategic planning, business planning and performance measurement.  Elected officials need to understand their role in establishing and prioritizing competing service level demands on behalf of citizens and then determine strategies to fund those service level commitments.