For many municipalities, asset management is still seen as the responsibility of a single department—usually engineering or finance. But in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Director of Finance and Treasurer Renato Pullia is leading a different approach: train everyone, integrate the systems, and embed asset management into the culture of the organization.
The shift started when Pullia and six colleagues completed the Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning through NAMS Canada. What they brought back wasn’t just knowledge—it was a framework they could use to transform how the town plans, budgets, and maintains its infrastructure.
“One of the things in our policy is coming up with a schedule to our tangible capital asset policy that identifies all the classes and sub-classes and links those into dedicated reserves,” said Pullia. “Then for each asset class, we actually have a designated asset manager.”
This structural change meant that parks, roads, fire services, and facilities now each have a staff member directly responsible for the data and decision-making behind their assets. But Pullia didn’t stop there.
“We’re working with our HR team to incorporate that into job descriptions,” he explained. “So if you’re the manager of parks and facilities, your job description will say you’re identified as the asset manager for that asset class. You’ll be required to take this training.”
Tillsonburg's approach isn’t just about compliance—it’s about continuity. Training embedded into the hiring process, performance reviews, and leadership development. As staff move into more senior roles, they’re expected to build on this foundation.
“The intent is that if you’re a manager and you receive this training, and then if you move up in the organization, you become a director—well, you should already have it,” said Pullia. “If you don’t, then at least we’re requiring that you take the foundations course.”
This level of organizational alignment is rare, especially among small and mid-sized municipalities. But Pullia sees it as necessary. “When you sign off on the data, you’re taking responsibility for its accuracy. That means some restructuring and updates—but it also builds accountability.”
Even elected officials are part of the plan. “I’ve raised this with our Council,” Pullia said. “There is elected official training that I’ve flagged for them. We want everyone speaking the same language.”
The town is also beginning to use the NAMS Plus dashboards to visualize performance and communicate with decision-makers. “To me, a picture is worth a thousand words,” he said. “I could use that with Council to say, ‘This is our snapshot.’”
Tillsonburg's model shows that asset management isn’t a task for one person or one team. It’s a discipline that requires alignment across operations, finance, HR, and leadership. Training the whole team doesn’t just meet provincial requirements—it builds institutional memory, improves service delivery, and prepares the municipality for long-term sustainability. Pullia’s message is clear: “We need to take ownership of the assets that we own.”