Town of Tillsonburg mapped seven planning application processes ahead of Bill 109
A Lean review of seven Town of Tillsonburg and Oxford County planning processes, with a phased plan to add capacity ahead of Bill 109.
The challenge
The Town of Tillsonburg wanted to confirm its planning processes, shared with Oxford County, would be efficient and would not incur a financial penalty when Bill 109 took effect in January 2023. The County was carrying a one-month backlog in opening applications, which the report linked to the loss of an administrative position six years earlier.
The approach
Leading Edge reviewed background documentation, including 15 years of application history and the Town and County planning services agreement (Schedule A to By-law 3991). It interviewed Town and County staff, Councillors, the Mayor, the CAO and an outside engineering firm, then held a workshop where staff mapped all seven application processes from submission to decision or appeal. Each step was examined as value-add or non-value-add.
The result
The report found the planning processes were generally efficient and would meet Bill 109 timelines: the Town's three application types averaged 23.3 days and the County's nine averaged 80 days. It found that two Town staff spent a combined seven weeks a year searching paper-based records, and that digital archiving would decrease that search time by at least 90%. It recommended an additional full-time administrative position at the County, mandatory pre-application consultations, amendments to Schedule A of By-law 3991, cross-training and formal Lean training.
How it holds
The report set out a phased implementation plan (immediately: 1 to 3 months; medium term: 2 to 6 months; longer term: over six months) and recommended documenting and standardizing processes so that staff can be onboarded and trained consistently.
Results
What changed
| Measure | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combined staff time spent searching paper-based records | 7 weeks a year | At least 90% reduction expected from digital archiving (recommended, not yet implemented) |
FAQ
Common questions
The review found that the Town and County planning processes were generally efficient and would meet Bill 109 timelines. The main constraint was a one-month backlog in opening applications at the County, and two Town staff were spending a combined seven weeks a year searching paper-based records.
Recommendations included one additional full-time administrative position at Oxford County, mandatory pre-application consultations, amendments to Schedule A of By-law 3991, cross-training, formal Lean training, and digital archiving of historical records, which the report expected to cut record search time by at least 90%.
Leading Edge reviewed historical application data and the Town and County planning agreement, interviewed staff, Councillors and an outside engineering firm, and ran a workshop in which staff mapped all seven application processes from submission to decision or appeal, separating value-add from non-value-add steps.
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