Saguenay: $620,000 for three new city executives

More than half a million dollars will be invested to create new jobs and open additional offices in Saguenay City.

Elected officials ensure that this is a way to better meet the needs of citizens and modernize its structure.

The position of General Manager will be posted soon to start in September.

Two other Office Director positions will also be created to oversee the Office of Relations with Elected Officials and Society as well as the Office of Strategic Performance, which form part of the proposed new structure.

“In particular, we want to increase the level of coordination within the city between city services and community partners. We also want to improve all processes so that the city can do things well and do the right things,” explained General Manager of the City of Saguenay Gabriel Rio.

Resources will be devoted exclusively to the search for grants, which, according to elected officials, will generate more profits.

“For example, the city of Laval, my colleague Mr. Boyer who has an office, got 65 million grants to tackle climate change,” said Mayor Julie Dufour.

“We set ourselves a more modest target for next year, 10 to 15 million in new grants as we didn’t have time to make, as we wouldn’t have seen the grants. I would tell you that even at 1 million, we’re already in on an investment.”

This reorganization will cost just over $170,000 the first year and approximately $450,000 the next year.

In a city like Saguenay, with a population of 150,000 and a budget of $400 million. “It is natural that each improvement has a significant impact on all activities and leads to savings,” said Mr. Ryu.

The aim is also to improve the services provided to citizens, particularly with regard to the processing of applications. The City of Saguenay processes approximately 75,000 applications annually.

“At a population of 148,000, we can say that roughly 1 in 2 people between the ages of 0 and 100 has a need. Fair even if it is only in terms of competence for our people,” said Ms. Dufour.

“Tweaking our structure and bringing it back to today’s era, in the end, Citizen will be the winner,” said Martin Harvey, Saguenay’s HR Committee Chair.

The proposal was unanimously adopted Tuesday noon at the Saguenay City Council meeting.

“The director told us that he would improve all application rules. When we are talking about 75,000 applications. This is very much the main part of our work, to help citizens. I will support this as long as the structure starts and respects the decision that will be made,” said municipal councilor Jean-Marc Crevier during the council meeting. .

“We have to put ourselves in the future, we have to keep pace with today,” Mr. Harvey concluded.

This new structure will be implemented gradually over the next few months. Further announcements are also planned soon in connection with this new management structure.