Hamilton tracks service delivery: Measuring performance

NRU
Oct. 5, 2916
Leah Wong

Municipalities around the world have adopted performance measurement frameworks that allow the public to track how well they are delivering services. Building on the experience of other jurisdictions the City of Hamilton is working to implement its own framework for tracking progress on city initiatives and utilizing data to improve operations.

Last week Hamilton general committee supported the creation a framework for measuring performance of city services and asked city manager Chris Murray to report back, through the 2017 budget process, on required funding.

The concept originated at a February council meeting when staff were asked to study the data-based performance measurement systems used by cities around the world. Staff studied the systems used by more than 40 cities and developed a list of best practices that Hamilton should follow.

“We have the opportunity to think about what other [jurisdictions] have succeeded on, match the best practices that are out there and possibly exceed them,” Murray told committee. “This is about demonstrating value for money... And giving people a better insight into how we deliver services.”

Audit services director Charles Brown told committee that the best systems share data and information about the services in which residents are most interested. And in a way that is easily understood.

Boston, for example, has developed City-Score, which aggregates key performance metrics into an overall score that shows the health of the city. The metrics—which include the performance of its 311 call centre and the percentage of potholes that were filled within a set timeframe—are updated in real time so that residents and city officials can track progress.

CityScore allows residents to track the results and question politicians about the level of performance reflected by any given metric. Brown also says the mayor’s office has a screen that displays the metrics and the mayor has been known to call departments to check on progress if results are lagging.

Boston, like other cities Hamilton staff studied, used new technology to create its performance measurement system. Staff told committee that through the budget process it will request capital funding for the software required to create a dashboard and open data portal for Hamilton.

Performance measurement systems are closely linked to open datasets. Communications and intergovernmental affairs director Andrea McKinney told committee that once the city creates a public dashboard it is important that the corresponding open datasets are available for the public to access.

In addition to the jurisdictional scan, staff evaluated its own performance measurement systems in place across Hamilton’s 89 service areas. Staff identified the five service areas—animal services, emergency services, energy management, long-term care and public transit—with more mature performance measurement processes in place. Brown said the experience of these areas can be leveraged in Hamilton’s development of a city-wide system.

“The performance measurement maturity varies across the organization,” said Brown. “The majority of service areas have some type of performance measures, but they are operating in isolation now.”

Brown said Hamilton Transit, for example, has its own internal dashboard and holds monthly operational meetings that focus on performance metrics. He added that a lot of the information that is already collected could be used to develop a public dashboard.

“We can implement [an integrated performance measurement system] over time,” said Brown. “We have areas of the organization where it wouldn’t take a lot of eff ort and we have internal dashboards that we can exploit.”

Brown also noted that there are opportunities to partner with universities and the private sector to develop dashboards. Santa Monica, for example, partnered with a group of international experts, the RAND Corporation and New Economics Foundation on its Wellbeing Index, which gives insight into the quality of life of residents across the city.