Municipal Governance & Operations Experts / Business Planning & Development Professionals
Our Services
Municipal Governance & Operations Experts / Corporate Development & Planning Professionals
The following descriptions of our services are provided in general terms. We believe that our client’s needs dictate the type of services required and as such; our client services are structured and fashioned to meet their specific needs.
As a result of this approach, HMC does not provide a “cookie-cutter” approach to meeting your business or organizational needs since every situation is unique and different.
Our CORE services include:
- INTEGRATED PLANNING (Strategic/Operations/Action/Financial)
- STRATEGIC PLANNING
- PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT
- ORGANIZATIONAL REVIEWS
- ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT, DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT
- HMC MUNICIPAL BUDGET MODEL
- MUNICIPAL AND FIRST NATION INVESTMENT READINESS
- BENCHMARKING TOOLS, MODELS & PLANNING
- HUMAN RESOURCES REVIEWS AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT
- MUNICIPAL CAO AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT RECRUITMENT
- WORKSHOP AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
INTEGRATED PLANNING
Involves the development and integration of 4 separate plans.
Starting with the development of the Strategic Plan involving the “owners” (which could be a Council or a Board) and staff, this sets the overall direction for the organization. The Operations Plan is then developed by staff or lead volunteers and the milestones are linked directly to the Strategic Plan. From this point, specific Action Plans are completed by staff or lead volunteers and determines the “how to” steps to achieve the milestones within the operations plan. Lastly, the Financial Plan is formulated based on the results of all the various plans.
Our clients have told us that they feel that they have really accomplished something by the end of their strategic planning session and to us, this is what it is all about.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
This is our basic strategic planning service and includes the development or re-development (whichever is appropriate) of your Vision, Mission, Values, and current situation benchmarking using HMC’s customized benchmarking tool/template and addressing critical issues you may be facing.
This option involves all of your Board or Council, the CAO or Senior staff member, and other staff if appropriate. This option would take up to 8 hours in total and could be done over an evening and the next day or just a full day.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT & MANAGEMENT
This service is generally working with clients through the process of creating a realistic and achievable business development plan starting at the strategy level, through the pre-feasibility and feasibility stages, including financial modelling – resulting in a Business Plan document specific to the clients business. This service may also include assistance with the implementation of the business plan.
ORGANIZATIONAL REVIEWS
Organizational reviews and assessments are conducted in varying manners by consulting companies and we have learned over the years that one size does not fit all and a cursory review or what we consider to be a “soft” review is not what HMC provides.
Our detailed organizational review and assessment process is thorough, looks “deep under the hood” and delves into those areas that will provide the evidence and support for what we recommend that can be defended by the decision makers to the stakeholders they serve, be it a Municipal Council or a For Profit or a Not-for-Profit entity.
Our detailed and direct experience in undertaking organization reviews and assessments for municipal governments, private sector and not for profit entities, combined with our decades worth of experience in managing and operating municipal operations, we believe gives us a competitive advantage over others and supports the effectiveness of the more in-depth approach that HMC undertakes.
We believe our past clients will tell you that we deliver what we say we will in the form of actionable results that will meet or exceed your needs and will also be practical and useful. A report that collects dust and is not realistic or practical is not part of what we deliver or believe in as a company.
ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT, DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT
This service generally focuses on new initiatives that affect the development of an organization or business or is some cases, HMC has provided direct support to Municipal Council’s or Chief Administrative Officer’s to deal with specific issues to their organization. This can include anything from policy development, to governance training, Council or Board orientation, policy review and policy modernization to reviewing an organizations internal and external process, to assisting with any element of human resources including job descriptions and salary grid development, with the goal of improving efficiencies or effectiveness.
HMC MUNICIPAL BUDGET MODEL
HMC has developed a Municipal Budget Model customized for your Municipality. The detailed budget model not only provides guidance and understanding to the Council of what the budget includes (down to the number of pencils being purchased if the Council so desires this level of detail) but ensures consistency and accountability from year to year for administration and department staff when determining what impact your proposed capital project or programs or service will have on the municipal tax structure. The Model allows “real-time” impacts of changes to operations and capital expenditures, revenues or taxes, and tax tools that may be available.
For Manitoba Municipalities, the Budget Model detailed operating budget sheets are linked to the required Provincial Financial Plan (PFP) Reporting Worksheets in and can be modified as required.
The Model will be customized to represent your required revenue and expense accounts for the general operating and utility funds as well as any capital expenditures as required.
The Model can also include a “3rd quarter estimate” worksheet which presents “present year budget amounts”, “present year actual to date amounts,” and year-end estimates.
Other customized reports can be added to provide information important to you and your Council in a format that is effective for your Municipality.
MUNICIPAL AND FIRST NATION INVESTMENT READINESS BENCHMARKING TOOLS, MODELS & PLANNING
Investment Attraction is a key element in building a successful economic development strategy. HMC can assist municipalities in increasing their readiness and capacity to attract business and investment through our direct experience and knowledge in getting you where you need to be. HMC has developed successful investment readiness models and benchmarking tools and resources for Municipalities and First Nations that are considered to be successful practises and more importantly, work.
HUMAN RESOURCES REVIEWS AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT
Policy development is a process, and one size does not fit all we have learned. It also takes time that not every CAO, CEO, Executive Director or organizational leader has.
HMC works hard to understand your operations by seeing what you have done or are doing, talking with staff about what is really required and then tailoring policies and procedures for all function areas for to your organization.
HMC has developed many not-for-profit and municipal administration office operations policy and procedural manuals that can be used by staff to standardize operations and practises. These types of manuals also tend to serve as orientation guidelines for any new office staff and Board/Council members as well.
We would be happy to assist you in updating and modernizing your current policies and procedures. Please give us call or drop us an email and let’s talk.
MUNICIPAL CAO AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT RECRUITMENT
HMC provides a personalized and hands-on municipal Chief Administrative Officer and senior management recruitment process using our proven process that makes it easier for us to find candidates who can bring in just the right mix of experience, skills and demonstrated leadership into your organization, ultimately matching you with the right candidate.
We start by working closely with you to develop a detailed search plan based on your organization’s needs and then begin the process of matching your defined job competencies/skills with our proven methodology of sourcing, assessing, and presenting a pool of high-calibre candidates to meet your specific requirements.
Our full recruitment services package includes HMC leading the interview process, reference checking, preparing an appropriate letter of offer, developing and negotiating an employment services agreement, new employee orientation through the probationary stage and more.
WORKSHOP AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
HMC has developed a series of workshops that we have successfully delivered including:
- Municipal Council Orientation
- Municipal Council Governance
- Not For Profit Board Legal Responsibilities and Governance
- Linking Planning to Budget to Policy
- Municipal Budgeting, Purchasing and Procurement
- Municipal Land Use Planning and Development 101
- Separating Municipal Governance from Operations
- Integrated and Strategic Planning
HMC can develop and customize workshops for your organization based on your specific needs. We will do our homework, learn about your organization first, and then customize the workshop to address your specific needs, and add value where we can drawing on our decades of our experience.
Also, HMC is prepared to speak to your delegates or organization on any subject matter within our skill set or experience and would welcome the opportunity to do so.
Please contact us for more information.
