This is the exact embedded text of the captured official document.
Snapshot ca30f9104bc2 · verified 2026-06-09 ·
original document ·
archived snapshot ·
unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.
1 | P a g e
Strategic Asset Management Policy
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1.
PURPOSE ................................................................................................................................... 2
2. OBJECTIVE ................................................................................................................................ 2
3.
DEFINITIONS .............................................................................................................................. 2
4.
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT .......................................................................................................... 3
5.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES ............................................................................................................... 3
6.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES ................................................................................................... 4
7.
CAPITALIZATION THRESHOLDS .............................................................................................. 5
8.
BUDGETING ............................................................................................................................... 5
9.
COMMUNITY PLANNING ........................................................................................................... 5
10. CLIMATE CHANGE ..................................................................................................................... 6
11. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT................................................................................................ 6
2 | P a g e
1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to formalize the County's commitment to asset management by
establishing a systematic and coordinated approach to asset management, which aligns asset
management principles with the County's strategic goals and objectives.
Asset management can best be described as an integrated business approach, involving all
departments within an organization that aims to minimize the lifecycle costs of owning,
operating and maintaining assets, at an acceptable level of risk while continuously delivering
the established level of service for present and future stakeholders. By implementing asset
management processes, infrastructure needs can be prioritized over time, ensuring municipal
assets are maintained cost effectively.
The County of Lennox & Addington is responsible for the maintenance and operation of assets
with a replacement value of approximately $750 million. These assets are critical for the
delivery of excellent customer service expected by the residents of the County.
2. OBJECTIVE
The County's objective is to proactively manage its assets to enhance the quality of life and
sense of place in Lennox & Addington through teamwork, innovation, sustainability and
customer service excellence
3. DEFINITIONS
Asset - a resource with economic value that the County owns with the expectation that
it will provide a future benefit.
Asset Management Plan - a strategic document that states how a group of assets are
to be managed over a period of time. The plan describes the characteristics and
condition of the assets, the levels of service expected from them, planned actions to
ensure the assets are providing the expected level of service at an acceptable level of
risk, and financing strategies to implement the planned actions.
Capitalization Threshold - the value of the asset at or above which the county will
capitalize the value of it and below which will expense the value of it.
Level of service - the parameters or combination of parameters that reflect social,
political, economic and environmental outcomes that the County delivers. Levels of
service statements describe the outputs or objectives of the County's activities that are
intended to be delivered to customers
Lifecycle costs - the total cost of an asset throughout its life including planning,
design, construction or acquisition, maintenance, rehabilitation, and disposal costs.
3 | P a g e
4. STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT
Asset management planning requires alignment with initiatives previously developed or
underway at any point in time in the County. This alignment is necessary to properly consider
whether the level of service provided by our existing and planned assets is consistent with and
supports the County's overall mission and vision.
County Council and Senior Management will ensure that asset management planning also
aligns with County plans such as:
Strategic Plan
Official Plan
Emergency Plan
Energy Management Plan
Accessibility Plan
Transportation Master Plan
Library Service Review
Housing Revitalization Review
Financial Plans, including annual budget and 10 year capital budgets
5. GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The County shall consider the following principles to asset management planning, which also
adhere to the required principles from the Infrastructure for Jobs and Prosperity Act, 2015:
Customer focused: The County will have clearly defined levels of service and apply
asset management practices focused on customer outcomes and service delivery.
Service focused: The County will consider all assets in a service context and take into
account their interrelationships as opposed to optimizing individual assets in isolation.
Risk-based: The County will manage the asset risk associated with attaining the
agreed levels of service by focusing resources, expenditures and priorities based upon
risk assessments and the corresponding cost/benefit, recognizing that public safety is
the priority.
Value-based: The County will choose practices, interventions and operations that aim
to reduce the lifecycle cost of asset ownership.
Forward looking: The County shall take a long-term view while considering
demographic and economic trends in the area.
Budget and planning: The County shall take into account any applicable budgets or
fiscal plans required by Provincial legislation.
Prioritization: The County shall clearly identify infrastructure priorities, which will drive
investment decisions.
Economic Development: The County shall promote economic competitiveness,
productivity, job creation and training opportunities.
Transparency: The County shall be evidence-based and transparent. Additionally,
subject to any prohibitions under an Act or otherwise by law on the collection, use, or
disclosure of information, the County shall:
o Make decisions with respect to infrastructure based on information that is
publicly available or made available to public, and;
o Share information with implications on infrastructure and investment decisions
with the Government and broader public sector entities.
4 | P a g e
Consistency: The County shall ensure the continued provision of core public services.
Environmentally conscious: The County shall minimize the impact of infrastructure on
the environment by:
o Respecting and helping maintain ecological and biological diversity
o Augmenting resilience to the effects of climate change, and
o Endeavouring to make use of acceptable recycled aggregates.
Health and Safety: The County shall ensure that the health and safety of workers
involved in the construction and maintenance of infrastructure assets are protected.
Community focused: The County shall promote community benefits, being the
supplementary social and economic benefits arising from an infrastructure project that
are intended to improve the well-being of a community affected by the project, such as:
o Local job creation and training opportunities,
o Improvement of public space within the community, and;
o Promoting accessibility for persons with disabilities
Innovation: The County shall create opportunities to make use of innovative
technologies, services and practices, particularly where doing so would utilize
technology, techniques and practices developed in Ontario.
Integration: The County shall, where relevant and appropriate, be mindful and consider
the principles and content of non-binding provincial or municipal strategies established
under an Act or otherwise, in planning and making decisions surrounding the
infrastructure that supports these strategies.
6. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
The policy requires the commitment of key stakeholders within the County's organizational
structure in order to ensure the County is continually improving its methods and adopting
appropriate practices with respect to asset management. The following details the
responsibilities of these key stakeholders:
Council
Provide strategic direction for asset management planning, including approving a
Strategic Asset Management Policy.
Approve the Asset Management Plan and its updates every five years;
Review the progress on the implementation of the Asset Management Plan on or before
July 1 of every year.
Support ongoing efforts to continuously improve and implement the Asset Management
Plan.
Chief Administrative Officer
Ensure that the County maintains compliance with the Asset Management Policy,
strategic direction of Council and provincial asset management regulations.
Director, Financial Services
Act as the Executive Lead for the implementation of the Asset Management Policy and
the directions of Council and the Chief Administrative Officer, related to asset
management planning. The Director, Financial Services will establish a team comprised
of representatives from County departments to guide the asset management process.
Prepare a report for Council's consideration prior to July 1 of every year which includes:
o Review of the Strategic Asset Management Policy;
o Progress on ongoing efforts to implement the Asset Management Plan and
address the asset funding gap;
o Any factors affecting the ability of the municipality to implement its Asset
Management Plan, and;
5 | P a g e
o A strategy to address these factors including the adoption of appropriate
practices.
Department Heads
Oversee Asset Management Plan activities that fall within their service area and in
support of other departments, including compilation of data such as condition & risk
assessments, levels of service, and lifecycle costs.
7. CAPITALIZATION THRESHOLDS
The inclusion of an asset within the Asset Management Plan will be determined based on the
service rendered by that asset and whether the service delivery requires management by the
County. The threshold used to determine which assets are to be included in the Asset
Management Plan is therefore a guideline for the application of Council-endorsed principles
using professional judgment. This differs from the tangible capital asset policy in that it takes a
qualitative approach to capitalization for the purposes of the Asset Management Policy.
8. BUDGETING
The Asset Management Plan and progress made on the plan will be considered annually in the
creation of the County's capital budgets, operating budgets, and long-term financial plans.
Department Heads will reference the Asset Management Plan for their area in order to:
Look up forecasted spending needs identified in the plan;
Verify progress made on the plan to identify potential gaps; and
Prioritize spending needs identified in the plan.
The Director, Financial Services will be involved in asset management planning to facilitate the
bridge between:
The financial strategy developed in the Asset Management Plan;
The budget submissions of each service area; and
The overall budgeting process.
9. COMMUNITY PLANNING
Asset management planning will be aligned with the County's Official Plan. The Asset
Management Plan will reflect how the community is projected to change and the related asset
impacts. The County will achieve this with the following:
Those responsible for managing services impacted by development or redevelopment
will:
o Be consulted about the impact of the development on their service area;
o Provide input to the analysis of future servicing costs; and
o Provide information about the financial viability of the development as it pertains to
the service they manage.
Methods, assumptions, and data used in the selection of development or redevelopment
initiatives documented in the County's Official Plan will be available in support of the
preparation of the Asset Management Plan.
6 | P a g e
10. CLIMATE CHANGE
The County will develop tailored actions that make the best use of its resources to mitigate and
adapt to climate change. These actions will go beyond acquiring or modifying assets based on
greenhouse gas reduction targets and risk exposure. Bolstering resistance to climate change in
the County also means modifying the scope of current operations, anticipating possible costs
to support contingency funds, leveraging alternative funding mechanisms, integrating disaster
response perspective to planning and revising levels of service. The County will tailor these
actions by striking a balance between its organizational capacity, financial and stakeholder
support and the local risks and vulnerabilities related to climate change. The Asset
Management Plan will encompass this sustainable approach to climate change mitigation and
adaptation.
11. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The County recognizes the residents, businesses and institutions in the County as
stakeholders and other municipal bodies, provincial agencies, and regulated utilities as
partners in service delivery. Accordingly, the County will foster informed dialogue with these
parties using the best available information and engage with them by:
Providing opportunities for residents and other stakeholders served by the County to
provide input in the development of asset management plans; and
Coordinating asset management planning with other infrastructure asset owning
agencies such as municipal bodies and regulated utilities.