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Much anticipated (dreaded) shared-services review out by end of month

September 18th, 2009 · 11 Comments

Rumours in the halls at 12th and Cambie say the city’s massive, Penny Ballem-initiated shared-services review is done, being reviewed by CMT (corporate management team to outsiders), and will be presented to the boards of various affiliated institutions, unions and managers around Sept. 28/29. That’s the result of several months work undertaken by a group of about 30 managers and staffers at city hall.

There is, of course, no small degree of apprehension about what will happen with this review, which I have heard is meant to try to squeeze $50-60 million out of the city’s billion-dollar budget in time for said 2010 budget to be passed by Dec. 1. For more details on some of the efficiencies that might be achieved, I’ll just refer you to Allen Garr’s column in the Courier today, where, clearly hearing the same things I am, he details a few cost-savings that are being anticipated by eliminating the duplication that goes on between parks and the city when it comes to paving, garbage pick-up, communications, etc.

That’s all in aid of trying to get the city’s tax increase for next year down to some incredibly low figure, I’m told.

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