ASSET MANAGEMENT BC NEWSLETTER (Summer 2018): Spall but Mighty: A Closer Look at the Service Sustainability Assessment Tool in Action – Interview with Doug Allin, CAO, Township of Spallumcheen
Note to Reader:
In 2017, the City of Grand Forks, along with a number of cohort communities, developed the Service Sustainability Assessment Tool (SSAT). Created in collaboration with Urban Systems Ltd., it is now being used by numerous communities across Western Canada.
The SSAT was designed to help local governments identify where service sustainability may be threatened, to provide feedback on how sustainability can be improved and to help inform strategies for long-term planning.
The SSAT assesses service sustainability in two ways. First, by considering both current performance and preparedness for the future over time; and second, through a balanced understanding of the key components of service delivery.
It Starts with a Conversation!
“We have to realize that this isn’t just about Asset Management. It’s always about communication,” stated Doug Allin in the interview and article by Jan Enns, and published in the Asset Management BC Newsletter.
“The Sustainability Tool is a way that we can engage our Council, staff, and our community in the conversation, instead of simply presenting a report to Council. This visual presence makes AM accessible, so it becomes part of a two-way conversation that builds ownership in how we can share and track over time.
“We do a great job of getting things done but we don’t often tell our story in a way that people can get – and get behind. And that inspires all of us to embrace AM in a way that a report never will.”
TO LEARN MORE:
To read the complete interview an article by Jan Enns, download the Summer 2018 issue of the Asset Management BC Newsletter.
