The Red Tape Red Carpet Task Force seeks to identify and eliminate barriers to new business and business growth in the City of Burlington.
Recommendations
We have two categories of recommendations. Cutting the red tape involves simplifying and streamlining the processes in starting and operating a business. Rolling out the red carpet involves strategies to attract new business to Burlington.
Cutting the red tape
New businesses can face many barriers, or “red tape”, in the process of starting up. These recommendations aim to address and remove barriers to make this process simpler and more efficient. They include:
Agribusiness improvements
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Improving agricultural business will involve:
- Reviewing the agribusiness rules, zoning, and definitions. This will encourage diversified use and help support economic sustainability for our rural and farming businesses
- Establishing a rural-point-of-contact person who can navigate agriculture requests and business with other agencies
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Increasing efficiency
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We aim to increase efficiency by streamlining our processes and prioritizing timeline goals, such as:
- Streamlining and optimizing the zoning, site grading and Committee of Adjustment processes for faster execution and resolution
- Considering recommendations from industry professionals to speed up decision making
- Exploring additional paid “Fast Track” options for rush projects and business applications in addition to the existing fast track for building permits
- Completing all minor site plan reviews and zoning clearances within 30 days
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Increasing flexibility
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We will be able to further increase efficiency by allowing more flexibility in certain areas. One way we can do this is by allowing an acceptable standard deviation for development related plans and drawings that better accounts for the use of imperial measurements.
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Tracking and reporting progress
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We can provide better direction for staff by emphasizing progress tracking and reporting, such as:
- Establishing a position at City Hall to act as our Chief of Business Development. They would serve as our primary outreach for attracting new businesses to Burlington, overseeing and expediting applications through the system and reporting progress and obstacles regularly to City Council and the City Manager via a monthly dashboard
- Developing and implementing targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), including timelines for processing business applications, for all staff in planning, building & development teams
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Website and technology improvements
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We aim to make our technology more intuitive and streamlined by:
- Optimizing the City of Burlington website with relevant, easy-to-find informative that is search-optimized and externally marketed
- Creating improved customer service technology including a self-serve online portal for applicants
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Rolling out the red carpet
These recommendations aim to brand our City as a place where businesses can thrive in order to attract new business. They include:
Establishing our brand
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We aim to establish a strong, recognizable brand for the City by:
- Developing a clear vision and associated branding strategy with respect to business attraction and development
- Developing a Brownfield Community Improvement Plan for the City including redevelopment goals, specific targets, actions, and an implementation and monitoring strategy
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Proactive business recruitment
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There are many ways we can actively encourage and attract business, such as:
- The Mayor and leadership team acting as Chief Salespeople, actively seeking out opportunities to bring new business to Burlington
- Making business attraction and retention a standing item for discussion at all Planning and Development Committee meetings
- Launching monthly Subject Matter Expert (SME) drop-in sessions where businesses can come ask questions and get advice and guidance from experts
- Creating an “Open for Business” customer service window, ideally on the first floor of City Hall, co-locating key staff from different business-related departments. This would provide the public access to on-the-spot collaboration and problem solving.
- Establishing a venture capital fund to support business attraction, using Innisfil Accelerates as a model
- Exploring opportunities to use our parking supply as a leverage for business attraction and addressing existing downtown parking challenges
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Optimizing our organizational structure
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We can adjust our organizational structures to prioritize our business attraction goals by:
- Reviewing the efficiency, effectiveness and optimal structure of the Burlington Economic Development Corporation and TechPlace
- Reviewing the opportunity for a Municipal Development Corporation to achieve the city's business attraction and retention goals
- Having our City Manager review and implement changes to the City's organizational structure and business processes to give priority focus to enhanced economic and business development working closely with the Burlington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC)
- Increasing municipal advocacy by the Mayor and senior leaders at the City with other levels of government and partner agencies to speed up their approvals
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Background
The Red Tape Red Carpet Task Force initiative was announced in January 2019. We gathered feedback from hundreds of local business owners, city partners and staff through:
- A public town hall
- Focus groups
- An online survey
- A series of one-on-one meetings
Using your ideas and insight, we created 22 actionable recommendations that were approved by Council in September 2019.
Stay informed and provide feedback
We are tracking our progress in meeting our recommendations with monthly updates.
We welcome ongoing feedback from the business community. Share your ideas on where you see areas for improvement on Get Involved Burlington.