Red Tape Red Carpet Task Force

Agribusiness improvements

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

Increasing efficiency

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

Increasing flexibility

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.

Tracking and reporting progress

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

Website and technology improvements

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

Establishing our brand

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

Proactive business recruitment

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

Optimizing our organizational structure

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