POLICY DEVELOPMENT
The ASB and Council are responsible for providing the services that their ratepayers want
and need. This responsibility involves providing input regarding the municipality’s
programs and services and making sure that the administration provides the programs and
services in the best possible manner.
A policy provides a way of ensuring that consistent decisions are made on similar matters.
Policies should establish general guidelines that the council sets for the administration to
follow. The administration then provides the programs and services to the ratepayers
according to the policies.
Policies are essential to good government and to an understanding of the continuity of
Council decision-making. Policy development contributes to the overall separation of
Council as policy makers from the staff, who are charged with carrying out Council
decisions. Written policy statements are useful to current and successive Councils as
guidelines on key municipal issues. They represent the philosophy of the current Council
and convey a sense of the direction of decision-making of that Council to the public and
affected parties.
Program monitoring means staying up to date on the programs and services that are
offered and assessing the results against what the council plans to achieve or specific
objectives.
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