Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-05-05 Workshop Meeting Agenda and Reports.pdfDistrict of Maple Ridge 1.ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA 2.MINUTES –April 7 and April 14, 2014 3.PRESENTATIONS AT THE REQUEST OF COUNCIL 3.1 4.UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS 4.1 Downtown Maple Ridge Business Improvement Association •Ineke Boekhorst, Executive Director 4.2 Joint Leisure Services Model Review •Brian Johnson, Facilitator, PERC COUNCIL WORKSHOP AGENDA May 5, 2014 9:00 a.m. Blaney Room, 1st Floor, Municipal Hall The purpose of the Council Workshop is to review and discuss policies and other items of interest to Council. Although resolutions may be passed at this meeting, the intent is to make a consensus decision to send an item to Council for debate and vote or refer the item back to staff for more information or clarification. REMINDERS May 5 Closed Council 11:00 a.m. Committee of the Whole Meeting 1:00 p.m. May 13 Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. Council Workshop May 5, 2014 Page 2 of 4 4.3 Document Management Implementation Update Verbal report by the Director of Corporate Support and the Manager of Legislative Services 4.4 Amendments to the 2014-2018 Financial Plan Amending Bylaw Statement 2 and the 2014 Property Tax Rates Bylaw Schedule A Report to be circulated separately. 5.CORRESPONDENCE The following correspondence has been received and requires a response. Staff is seeking direction from Council on each item. Options that Council may consider include: a)Acknowledge receipt of correspondence and advise that no further action will be taken. b)Direct staff to prepare a report and recommendation regarding the subject matter. c)Forward the correspondence to a regular Council meeting for further discussion. d)Other. Once direction is given the appropriate response will be sent. 5.1 E-Comm Board of Directors Designate – 2014/2015 Term Letter dated March 31, 2014 from Jody Robertson, Corporate Secretary, E-Comm 911, requesting written confirmation of the designation of one individual for election to the Board of Directors of E-Comm. Recommendation: Appoint Mayor Ernie Daykin to the Board of Directors for the 2014/2015 term. 5.2 Alouette River Management Society – Allco Hatchery Well Funds Letter from Greta Borick-Cunningham, Executive Director, Alouette River Management Society providing information on the Allco Hatchery Well Funds for Experimental Sockeye Rearing Project. Recommendation: Staff report dated May 5, 2014 recommending receipt for information 6.BRIEFING ON OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST/QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL 6.1 Financial Plan 2014-2018 Public Budget Q & A #2 Results Staff report dated May 5, 2014 providing information on the results of the April 28, 2014 live-streamed Budget Q & A. Council Workshop May 5, 2014 Page 3 of 4 7. MATTERS DEEMED EXPEDIENT 8. ADJOURNMENT Checked by: ___________ Date: _________________ Council Workshop May 5, 2014 Page 4 of 4 Rules for Holding a Closed Meeting A part of a council meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter being considered relates to one or more of the following: (a) personal information about an identifiable individual who holds or is being considered for a position as an officer, employee or agent of the municipality or another position appointed by the municipality; (b) personal information about an identifiable individual who is being considered for a municipal award or honour, or who has offered to provide a gift to the municipality on condition of anonymity; (c) labour relations or employee negotiations; (d) the security of property of the municipality; (e) the acquisition, disposition or expropriation of land or improvements, if the council considers that disclosure might reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality; (f) law enforcement, if the council considers that disclosure might reasonably be expected to harm the conduct of an investigation under or enforcement of an enactment; (g) litigation or potential litigation affecting the municipality; (h) an administrative tribunal hearing or potential administrative tribunal hearing affecting the municipality, other than a hearing to be conducted by the council or a delegate of council (i) the receiving of advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose; (j) information that is prohibited or information that if it were presented in a document would be prohibited from disclosure under section 21 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act; (k) negotiations and related discussions respecting the proposed provision of a municipal service that are at their preliminary stages and that, in the view of the council, could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality if they were held in public; (l) discussions with municipal officers and employees respecting municipal objectives, measures and progress reports for the purposes of preparing an annual report under section 98 [annual municipal report] (m) a matter that, under another enactment, is such that the public may be excluded from the meeting; (n) the consideration of whether a council meeting should be closed under a provision of this subsection of subsection (2) (o) the consideration of whether the authority under section 91 (other persons attending closed meetings) should be exercised in relation to a council meeting. (p) information relating to local government participation in provincial negotiations with First Nations, where an agreement provides that the information is to be kept confidential. District of Maple Ridge COUNCIL WORKSHOP April 7, 2014 The Minutes of the Municipal Council Workshop held on April 7, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. in the Blaney Room of the Municipal Hall, 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge, British Columbia for the purpose of transacting regular Municipal business. PRESENT Elected Officials Appointed Staff Mayor E. Daykin J. Rule, Chief Administrative Officer Councillor C. Ashlie K. Swift, General Manager of Community Development, Councillor C. Bell Parks and Recreation Services Councillor J. Dueck P. Gill, General Manager Corporate and Financial Services Councillor A. Hogarth D. Pollock, Acting General Manager Public Works and Councillor B. Masse Development Services Councillor M. Morden C. Marlo, Manager of Legislative Services A. Gaunt, Confidential Secretary Other Staff as Required J. Bastaja, Director of Corporate Support C. Nolan, Manager of Accounting G. Mallory, Manager of Parks and Open Spaces L. Holitzki, Director of Licences, Permits and Bylaws F. Armstrong, Manager of Corporate Communications Note: These Minutes are posted on the Municipal Web Site at www.mapleridge.ca 1.ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA The agenda was adopted as circulated. 2.MINUTES R/2014-137 Minutes It was moved and seconded March 17, 2014 That the minutes of the Council Workshop Meeting of March 17, 2014 be adopted as circulated. CARRIED 2.1 Council Workshop Minutes April 7, 2014 Page 2 of 5 3.PRESENTATIONS AT THE REQUEST OF COUNCIL – Nil 4.UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS 4.1 Fibre Optic Network – Request for Information and Qualifications (RFIQ) Status Update and Next Steps Staff report dated April 7, 2014 providing an update on the status of a request for information and qualifications seeking out private sector interest in access to the community fibre conduit network. The Director of Corporate Support reviewed the staff report. He introduced Mr. Roel Coertt, the consultant retained to provide advice on the Maple Ridge network. Mr. Coertt outlined his work experience, spoke to business opportunities and advised on future work to be carried out. R/2014-138 Fibre Optic Network It was moved and seconded Receive for Information That the staff report dated April 7, 2014 entitled “Fibre Optic Network – RFIQ Status Update and Next Steps” be received for information. CARRIED 4.2 Reserves Staff report dated April 7, 2014 providing an overview of the District’s financial resources. The Manager of Accounting gave a PowerPoint presentation providing an overview of the District’s reserve funds. R/2014-139 Reserves It was moved and seconded Receive for Information That the staff report dated April 7, 2014 entitled “Reserves” be received for information. CARRIED Council Workshop Minutes April 7, 2014 Page 3 of 5 4.3 Noxious Weeds Update Presentation by the Manager of Parks and Open Spaces and Laurie Kremsater, Madrone Environmental Services The Manager of Parks and Open Spaces advised on the development of the noxious weed strategy, the Request for Proposal and the process carried out in terms of public input. Laurie Kremstar, Madrone Environmental Services gave a PowerPoint presentation providing information on the noxious weed control strategy. She advised that her organization is working with the BC noxious weed list supplied by the Province and provided a vision statement outlining what the District would like to achieve. Note: The meeting was recessed at 10:50 a.m. and reconvened at 2:36 p.m. 4.4 Proposed Sign Bylaw No. 7008-2013 Staff report dated April 7, 2014 providing a final update on proposed Sign Bylaw No. 7008-2013 in advance of proceeding to further public consultation for additional input. The Director of Licences, Permits and Bylaws reviewed the staff report. She gave a PowerPoint presentation providing photos of signs which will be allowed or disallowed if the bylaw is enacted. Note: Councillor Masse left the meeting at 3:50 p.m. 4.5 Council Review of Advisory Committees & Commissions Staff report dated April 7, 2014 recommending that an Advisory Committee Task Force consisting of the Mayor, Councillor Dueck and Councillor Hogarth review the Advisory Committees of Council. The Manager of Legislative Services reviewed the report. R/2014-140 Review of Advisory Committees & It was moved and seconded Commissions That an Advisory Committee Task Force consisting of the Mayor, Councillor Dueck and Councillor Hogarth review the Advisory Committees of Council as described in the staff report dated April 7, 2014 and make recommendations to Council on each Committee. Council Workshop Minutes April 7, 2014 Page 4 of 5 CARRIED 5.CORRESPONDENCE 5.1 Union of British Columbia Municipalities (“UBCM”) Correspondence from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities providing information on the submission of resolutions to UBCM. Proposed resolutions are attached. Councillor Ashlie advised on the resolutions she has tabled. R/2014-141 UBCM It was moved and seconded Resolutions That the resolutions attached to the agenda be forwarded to the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. CARRIED Further possible topics for the Union of British Columbia Municipalities included: - Review of the Residential Tenancy Act - Extended Producer Responsibilities on Mattresses - Index on Homeowners Grants - Noxious Weeds 5.2 Federation of Canadian Municipalities (“FCM”) Sample Model Housing Resolution for support from Council R/2014-142 FCM Resolution Support It was moved and seconded That the Federation of Canadian Municipalities resolution titled “Development of a New Long-Term Federal Plan to Fix Canada’s Housing Crunch” be referred to the Maple Ridge Social Planning Advisory Committee. CARRIED Council Workshop Minutes April 7, 2014 Page 5 of 5 6.BRIEFING ON OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST/QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL – Nil 7.MATTERS DEEMED EXPEDIENT – Nil 8.ADJOURNMENT – 4:10 p.m. _______________________________ E. Daykin, Mayor Certified Correct ___________________________________ C. Marlo, Corporate Officer District of Maple Ridge COUNCIL WORKSHOP April 14, 2014 The Minutes of the Municipal Council Workshop held on April 14, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. in the Blaney Room of the Municipal Hall, 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge, British Columbia for the purpose of transacting regular Municipal business. PRESENT Elected Officials Appointed Staff Mayor E. Daykin J. Rule, Chief Administrative Officer Councillor C. Ashlie K. Swift, General Manager of Community Development, Councillor C. Bell Parks and Recreation Services Councillor J. Dueck P. Gill, General Manager Corporate and Financial Services Councillor A. Hogarth F. Quinn, General Manager Public Works and Development Councillor B. Masse Services C. Marlo, Manager of Legislative Services ABSENT A. Gaunt, Confidential Secretary Councillor M. Morden Other Staff as Required D. Pollock, Municipal Engineer L. Holitzki, Director of Licences, Permits and Bylaws F. Armstrong, Manager of Corporate Communications C. Carter, Director of Planning R. Stott, Environmental Planner C. Goddard, Manager of Development and Environmental Services S. Wheeler, Director of Community Services J. Charlebois, Manager of Community Planning S. Murray, Planning Technician D. Denton, Assistant Property and Risk Manager Note: These Minutes are posted on the Municipal Web Site at www.mapleridge.ca 1.ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA The agenda was adopted with the addition of Item 4.8 Signing Authority for Accounts for TD Canada Trust 2.MINUTES – N/A 2.2 Council Workshop Minutes April 14, 2014 Page 2 of 5 3. PRESENTATIONS AT THE REQUEST OF COUNCIL 3.1 Discussion with MP Randy Kamp MP Randy Kamp addressed the following issues: • Medical Marihuana Decommissioning of Licenses • Post Secondary Funding • Fish Act • Housing • Impact of Downloading on Local Government 4. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS 4.1 Waste Flow Management • Carol Mason, Chief Administrative Officer • Paul Henderson, General Manager, Solid Waste Services Mr. Henderson gave a PowerPoint presentation providing an update on the Metro Vancouver Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan. He highlighted initiatives and outlined goals specific to the plan. He provided a map indicating regional facilities and their operations, spoke to solid waste tipping fees and outlined the current situation of waste haulers bypassing regional facilities. He outlined the next steps in the process of the approval of proposed Bylaw No. 280 to regulate bypassing of regional facilities. 4.3 Consolidated Financial Statements The Manager of Accounting provided an overview of the overall financial results for the District for 2013. She outlined the process involved in the development of the yearly financial statements and reviewed the recommendation to be brought forward to the April 14, 2014 Committee of the Whole Meeting. Note: The meeting was recessed at 12:16 p.m. and reconvened at 2:45 p.m. 4.4 Housing Action Plan Update – Consultation Summary Report Staff report dated April 14, 2014 providing an update on the status of the Housing Action Plan and recommending that the report be received for information. Council Workshop Minutes April 14, 2014 Page 3 of 5 The General Manager of Community Development, Parks and Recreation Services introduces the topic, provided an update on the process and a summary of consultation program. The Planning Technician provided an update on the consultation portion of the Housing Action Plan based on a summary report received from the consulting firm of City Spaces. She reviewed the staff report and gave a PowerPoint presentation outlining the process in the development of the Housing Action Plan, consultation activities and results and the next steps in the process. R/2014-161 Housing Action Plan It was moved and seconded Update Received That the staff report dated April 14, 2014 titled “Housing Action Plan Update – Consultation Summary Report” be received for information. CARRIED 4.5 Proposed Safe Premises Bylaw No. 7077-2014 Staff report dated April 14, 2014 providing information on a proposed Maple Ridge Safe Premises bylaw. The Director of Licences, Permits and Bylaws reviewed the report. R/2014-162 Proposed It was moved and seconded BL No. 7077-2014 Received That proposed Maple Ridge Safe Premises Bylaw No. 7077- 2044 be received for information and discussion. CARRIED Note: Items 4.6 and 4.7 were dealt with prior to Item 4.4 and Item 4.5 4.6 Use of District Land for Economic Development Opportunities Staff report dated April 14, 2014 recommending that staff proceed with negotiations with Delta Force Paintball and Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group pertaining to a family-friendly-outdoor-recreational-activity initiative for 2014- 2015 and a full-service campground initiative for 2015-2016. Council Workshop Minutes April 14, 2014 Page 4 of 5 The Assistant Property and Risk Manager reviewed the staff report. R/2014-163 Proceed with It was moved and seconded Negotiations That staff proceed with negotiations with Delta Force Paintball and Seyem’ Qwantlen Business Group to determine the terms and conditions of any potential contractual arrangements and the respective readiness of the family-friendly-outdoor- recreational-activity initiative for 2014/15 and the full- service campground initiative for 2015/16 and report back to Council as to the outcome of the negotiations. CARRIED 4.7 Downtown District Lands – Request for Proposal Staff report dated April 14, 2014 recommending that staff proceed with a Request for Proposal for the 3.04 acre District Lands located between Haney Place Mall and ValleyFair Mall. The Assistant Property and Risk Manager reviewed the report. R/2014-164 Request for Proposal It was moved and seconded Proceed That staff proceed with a Request for Proposal for the 3.04 acre Downtown District Lands located between Haney Place Mall and ValleyFair Mall and that staff report back to Council on the outcome of that process. CARRIED Councillor Bell - OPPOSED Note: Councillor Masse left the meeting at 3:50 p.m. He did not participate in discussions of Item 4.5 and 4.8 4.8 Signing Authority for Accounts for TD Canada Trust Staff report dated April 14, 2014 recommending that the Signing Authority for Accounts for TD Canada Trust be approved. The General Manager of Corporate and Financial Services reviewed the report. Council Workshop Minutes April 14, 2014 Page 5 of 5 R/2014-165 Signing Authority It was moved and seconded TD Canada Trust Approved That the Signing Authority for Accounts for TD Canada Trust as attached in Schedule 1 be approved. CARRIED 5. CORRESPONDENCE 5.1 Notification from Metro Vancouver regarding the Corporation of Delta Proposed Regional Growth Strategy Amendment for Southlands Letter from Metro Vancouver dated March 28, 2014 outlining a request from the Corporation of Delta for a type two amendment to the Regional Growth Strategy Land Use Designation Map. R/2014-166 Received It was moved and seconded That the letter from Metro Vancouver dated March 28, 2014 outlining a request from the Corporation of Delta for a type two amendment to the Regional Growth Strategy Land Use Designation Map be received for information. CARRIED 6. BRIEFING ON OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST/QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL – Nil 7. MATTERS DEEMED EXPEDIENT - Nil 8. ADJOURNMENT – 4:10 p.m. _______________________________ E. Daykin, Mayor Certified Correct ___________________________________ C. Marlo, Corporate Officer March 311 2014 Mayor Deb Walters City of Pitt Meadows 12007 Harris Road Pitt Meadows, BC V3Y 2B5 Dear Mayor Walters and Council, RE: E-Comm Board of Directors Designate — 2014-2015 Term 33oi East Pender Street, Vancouver, BC, V5K 5J3 Canada Phone 6o4-2i5-5000 Fax 604-215-5001 www.ecomm9i�.ca (r,3 Erg1-0919D 'AA YOR The Annual General Meeting (the "Meeting") of the Shareholders (Members) of E-Comm Emergency Communications for Southwest British Columbia Inc. ("E-Comm") will be held on Thursday, June 19, 2014 and, at that time, the Board of Directors will be appointed by the shareholders for the 2014-2015 term. At present, Maple Ridge Mayor Ernie Daykin, represents the District of Maple Ridge and the City of Pitt Meadows on our Board of Directors after being collectively nominated by your shareholder grouping in 2013. Pursuant to Section 4.2.1.5 of the E-Comm Members' Agreement, the above entities are entitled to designate a mutually -agreed upon individual for election to the Board of Directors of E-Comm. The Board of E-Comm is focused on good governance and we are looking for effective directors for the benefit of all shareholders. An effective director will have competencies in many, or most, of the following areas: Knowledge of E-Comm or the public -safety industry, knowledge of the role of a board, analytical skills including financial acumen, leadership skills, good communication skills, sound judgment, high integrity and the ability to influence others. The E-Comm Board of Directors meets five times per year and provides oversight of the business and aI fairs of the company. Two additional sessions are also held annually for strategic planning and board education. There are three standing committees of the board (Governance, Audit and Human Resources and Compensation), each meeting five times per year. Participation on committees is voluntary, but recommended. Although shareholders are required to elect directors every year at our Annual General Meeting, there is no limit on the number of terms any one director can serve. Indeed, we believe that it is in all shareholders' best interest when a director can serve multiple terms. Because your municipality/organization is among a designated group of Members, we respectfully request that you confer with the others members of your grouping to establish amutually-agreeable nominee prior to informing us of your nominee. This will help to ensure a smooth nomination process. We request that you advise the undersigned with written confirmation by May 29, 2014, of the name and contact information of your mutually -agreed upon nominee to the E-Comm Board. Mayor Deb Walters and Council City of Pitt Meadows March 31, 2014 page 2 Please note that nominating a director is a separate process from designating a representative to vote your shares at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). As such, I will be contacting the City of Pitt Meadows again in May with information on the AGM and requesting that you designate one individual to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Shareholders for the purposes of voting the City of Pitt Meadows' shares.* Yours truly, Jody Robertson Corporate Secretary t � 604.215.4956 jody.robe rtson@ecomm911.ca cc Mayor Ernie Daykin, District of Maple Ridge *Our records indicate the following shares are held by the group to which you belong: District of Maple Ridg City of Pitt Meadows Class A Class B 1 2 contact information for Jody Robertson, Corporate Secretary: _ _ ,._. mail 3301 East Pender Street email . jody.robertson@ecomm911.ca tel 604.215.4956 Vancouver, BC V5K5J3 2 contact information for Jody Robertson, Corporate Secretary: _ _ ,._. mail 3301 East Pender Street email . jody.robertson@ecomm911.ca tel 604.215.4956 Vancouver, BC V5K5J3 District of Maple Ridge TO: His Worship Mayor Ernie Daykin MEETING DATE: May 5, 2014 and Members of Council FILE NO: FROM: Chief Administrative Officer MEETING: Workshop SUBJECT: Correspondence - Allco Fish Hatchery EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The District of Maple Ridge has received the attached correspondence from the Alouette River Management Society (ARMS). The approved 2013 budget included funding allocation to ARMS for improvements to the Allco Fish Hatchery. The attached letter details the proposed scope of work. The budget includes $30,000.00 from gaming revenue. A similar allocation was made to the Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society (KEEPS) in 2012 as a contribution to the new Bell- Irving Hatchery. RECOMMENDATION: Receive for information. BCKGROUND: The approved budget includes $30,000.00 towards improvements to the Allco Fish Hatchery. The attached memo from ARMS outlines the work involved. The work is anticipated to be completed in 2014. In 2012, similar funding was provided to KEEPS for the new Bell-Irving Fish Hatchery. The funds were being held pending details on the scope of work. CONCLUSIONS: With the scope of work being provided, the District of Maple Ridge is now in a position to release the funds up to a maximum of $30,000.00. This report is for information only. _______________________________________________ Prepared by: Frank Quinn, MBA, P.Eng General Manager, Public Works & Development Services _______________________________________________ Approved by: Catherine Nolan, CPA, CGA Manager of Accounting _______________________________________________ Concurrence: J.L. (Jim) Rule Chief Administrative Officer Attachment: Letter of April 15, 2014 from ARMS re: Allco Hatchery Well Funds for Experimental Sockeye Rearing Project 5.2 "Original signed by Frank Quinn" "Original signed by Catherine Nolan" "Original signed by J.L. (Jim) Rule O p 41e"VAGEMEt�vy SO 15 April, 2014 Frank Quinn 24959 ALOUETTE ROAD, MAPLE RIDGE, BC V4R 1R8 Director of Public Works &Development Services District of Maple Ridge 11995 Haney Place Maple Ridge, BC V2X 6A9 Tel: 604.467.6401 Fax: 604.467.6478 Re: Allco Hatchery Well Funds for Experimental Sockeye Rearing project arms @alouetteriver. org www. alouetteriver. org Project title: Experimental release of hatchery -reared sea -run kokanee into Alouette Reservoir to evaluate the feasibility of re-establishing sockeye salmon Funder: BC Hydro Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program Request: After recent discussions with the Alouette River Sockeye Reanadromization project group members including ARMS, DFO and Corrections, it was decided that raising sockeye for the experimental release project could be better delivered at the upper hatchery rather than at the lower Allco Hatchery. There is a well at the upper hatchery that will provide water to the mature sockeye that will have to be held over until we can take the eggs and then raise them as juveniles. Providing clean, cool water is imperative. The sockeye project would use water from Allco Springs which comes down from the adjacent hillside as well as the upper well. However, it needs to be redeveloped to produce the amount required. The group is also exploring other suitable locations in the area to raise these fish if the upper hatchery site proves unsuitable after further investigation. ARMS would like to ask that the funds which had earlier been requested for a new well at the lower Allco Hatchery be redirected to the upper hatchery at the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women. Project Background and Purpose: The purpose of this project is to determine whether extirpated sockeye salmon runs can be re- established from non-anadromous O. nerka (kokanee) populations that have been able to persist within dammed watersheds. Sockeye salmon were extirpated from the Alouette River by dam and tunnel construction in the 1920s, but an experimental program of surface spill beginning in 2005 has resulted in "sea -run kokanee" smolts and returning adults being observed each year since 2005 and 2007, respectively. These adult sea -run kokanee returning to the Alouette dam have been identified as species of conservation concern (referred to as "sockeye-kokanee" in the Plan). Efforts to re-establish a self-supporting sockeye run in the Alouette by re-anadromizing kokanee from Alouette Lake Reservoir are aligned with both FWCP strategic objectives for conservation ("maintain or improve the status of species or ecosystems of concern" and "maintain or improve the integrity and productivity of ecosystems and habitats"). Since 2008, the Alouette River Management Society (ARMS sponsored by BC Hydro's FWCP) has captured the sea -run kokanee below the dam, sampled them for DNA (soiree were also radio - tagged), and transferred them above the dam into Alouette Reservoir. Otolith microchemistry and genetic techniques ("parental analysis") were used to identify the progeny of these sea -run kokanee in samples of smolts and lake -resident juveniles, in order to evaluate the overall reproductive success of the transferred adults. Preliminary results suggest that few if any of these adults have produced progeny. The reasons for their failure to reproduce remain unknown. Possible explanations include pre -spawning mortality resulting from the stress of trucking, tagging and release, or disease or parasites picked up during marine migration, or perhaps because they are not finding one another or not finding conditions suitable for spawning (Godbout et al. 2013) To discover the reasons for this apparent failure while advancing the objective of restoring an anadromous sockeye run by increasing the number of sea -run smolts, ARMS is proposing to retain 10 of the adult females that return in 2014 for hatchery brood stock, and to release their marked (ad -clip) progeny into the Alouette Reservoir in late spring of 2015. The Alouette River Management Society, on behalf of the Alouette River Sockeye Reanadromization Project Committee, would like to thank the District of Maple Ridge for its financial assistance and continued support for the successful reintroduction of sockeye to the Alouette watershed and subsequently, fish passage on the Alouette Dam. For any questions at all with regards to this request, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Greta Borick-Cunningham Executive Director Alouette River Management Society District of Maple Ridge TO: His Worship Mayor Ernie Daykin MEETING DATE: May 5, 2014 and Members of Council FROM: Chief Administrative Officer MEETING: Council Workshop SUBJECT: Financial Plan 2014-2018 Public Q&A #2 Results EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The District has a comprehensive business planning process that is structured to provide transparency and citizen participation. On April 28, 2014 a live-streamed Budget Q&A was held to provide information, receive feedback and answer questions on the Financial Plan 2014-2018 amending bylaw currently under Council consideration. This report outlines the results of the session. RECOMMENDATION: Non required - Receive for information DISCUSSION: The Financial Plan 2014-2018 was first considered by Council in December 2013. On December 9, a Budget Q&A was held to provide financial plan information, receive feedback and answer questions from the public. The Financial Plan was approved in January 2014. As is customary, an amendment to the financial plan is brought forward in April/May to accompany the tax rates bylaw, primarily to acknowledge actual real growth after BC Assessment completed the final property tax roll. This year, a second Budget Q&A was held following three readings of the financial plan amending bylaw. The bylaw is scheduled to receive final reading on May 13, 2014. The Budget Q&A was held on April 28, 2014 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Mr. Gill, General Manager: Corporate and Financial Services delivered a half-hour presentation explaining the financial plan amendments. The second half of the hour was spent with Mr. Gill answering questions relating to the financial plan and property taxation. Those questions and answers form Appendix A to this report. Two citizens attended the session held in Council Chambers. The live-streaming session was watched, in whole or in part, by 25 individuals, with a maximum of 9 watching at any one time. “Original signed by Laura Benson”_____________________ Prepared by: Laura Benson, CPA, CMA Manager of Sustainability and Corporate Planning “Original signed by Paul Gill”__________________________ Approved by: Paul Gill, BBA, CGA GM: Corporate and Financial Services “Original signed by J.L. (Jim) Rule”_______________________ Concurrence: J.L. (Jim) Rule Chief Administrative Officer Attachment: Appendix A – April 28, 2014 Budget Q&A Session questions and answers 1 6.1 Appendix A: April 28, 2014 Budget Q&A Session questions and answers District of Maple Ridge Budget Q & A Session Monday April 28, 2014 This document provides a representation of the questions and answers from the live streamed Budget Q&A session held on Monday April 28, 2014. The full presentation can be accessed at the following link: Budget Q&A Video or visiting the video section of www.mapleridge.ca Question #1 – Part 1 I’m concerned about the police budget, is it going up by $925,000 every year? Answer The police budget is going up by about $900,000 this year and a large part of it is driven by pension rates. We’re not sure what those increases will be in 2015, but year-over-year we have seen an increase in police costs in excess of $500,000 for a long period of time. Question #1 – Part 2 Are we looking at the police budget item by item as to why it is going up like this? Other areas, other sectors in society, like schools, are being cut, health care is being cut, yet the police budget is going up in quite large figures. Are we really looking at each item to check what is going on? Answer Two or three years ago, we invited RCMP Headquarters to Maple Ridge to explain each line item in the RCMP contract. It was one of the first times that a presentation like that had ever been done in a public forum. This presentation was repeated the following year. So we have a great understanding of where the costs are going up. A lot of the costs are going up in areas that we have little control over such as those pensions. If you are going to have a police officer, there are a number of related costs that you have to pay for. The other thing that this Council has done is that over the life of the financial plan, we try to provide police officers to keep up with a growing community. This is done so that we don’t have to play catch-up later as we have had to do in the past. I would like to close by offering this comment: RCMP costs are going up, so are the costs of private police forces so what we are experiencing is not unique to the RCMP. Question #2 The District has lots of money in reserve funds. Can‘t this be used to reduce or eliminate the tax increase? Answer The first thing that we have to understand is the makeup of those reserves. In our financial statements we provide a couple of pages listing each one. This is not a practice in every community. In the interest of transparency, we provide a listing of all the reserve funds and all the reserve accounts that we’ve got. The average citizen refers to reserve funds generally, however as we’ve tried to explain to Council and the community, there are different pieces to that pie. There are certain things called reserve funds; those funds have to be used for the purpose that they are set up for. Then you have reserve accounts. Reserve accounts are management tools that Council has. For instance, we have a reserve account for snow removal which has a certain balance in it. The reason it has that balance in it, is that when we have had years when we didn’t use all of our snow removal monies, the savings went into this account and that’s so that if we get a really, really bad winter, we don’t have to put through a further tax increase to deal with that problem. These reserve accounts basically represent savings that belong to the citizens of Maple Ridge and are set aside for 2 Appendix A: April 28, 2014 Budget Q&A Session questions and answers various uses. It would be like owning a home and understanding that the roof is going to last 20 years and trying to set aside some money for that each year. By year 11, if my roof is still good, I could go buy a new car but what am I going to do when that roof needs to be replaced? The other issue to keep in mind is that we review our reserves regularly, line by line, in a public forum. Question #3 The average tax increase is 3.5%. Why did my property taxes go up more than that? Answer Firstly, we have to understand what we mean by ‘average’. An ‘average’ means that there are people on the high side and people on the low side. When it comes to our budget and we are talking about a tax increase of 2% we do not take what everyone paid last year and add 2% to it. That is not the system, it is not the methodology we are given by the Province to work with, so we can’t do that. The methodology that we have results in us pooling all the assessed values for the Residential Class, seeing what they went up by on average and setting one tax rate. Because we do that, you will have people on both sides of the average. Every year we do a presentation for Council on this. We’ve been tracking certain properties for well over a dozen years and when you look at that you will see the experiences that different homes have. In some years they got very large increases, in other years not so large and over a longer term you will see a trend toward the average, but that doesn’t help you in any particular year. Question #4 The financial statements show the District carries long-term debt and the interest rate is 5.9% on this debt. Couldn’t you use reserve funds to pay this off and save on the interest costs? Answer The debt that is being referred to is the debt that relates to our town centre project. When we took over the project from our private sector partner, we needed to raise some money and the Council of the day decided that, in the interest of our taxpayers, we were going to go out and borrow money and fix the rate for 25 years. Today that rate might look high, but it is a fixed rate for the whole 25* years. It was important for the taxpayers that they have that type of stability and so we are locked into that financing. We could have perhaps done a little bit better if we had gone short term, but what is going to happen in the next five years? Maybe nothing, but rates may go the other way. It was a deliberate decision made in a public forum that we would lock ourselves in to financing like that. So, the short answer is, no, we can’t use our reserve funds to pay down that debt. (*Debt relating to the town centre project is comprised of 2 debt issues, the first is for 22 years at 5.7%; the second is for 20 years at 5%) Question #5 – Part 1 I live in a rural area and don’t have street lights, sidewalks, water or sewer. Why do I pay the same taxes as someone in the newer subdivisions that receives those services? Answer This citizen is looking at their home and the direct services that they receive and suggesting that they differ than others who may live on the west side of town and wondering why are they paying the same. There are a few different pieces to that. When it comes to property taxes, they are not a tax based on consumption of services. People may think they are, but they are a value tax for the most part. You pay property taxes based on the assessed value of the property that you own, as determined by BC Assessment. That is the sort of tax it is, number one. But the other piece is that there are user fees that we have too, for instance, water and sewer. If you are in areas that don’t have water and sewer, you don’t pay for water and sewer, as a general statement. Having said that, there are other services too, for instance, people will say, “well, my road isn’t paved, so why am I paying for roads?” Your own road may not be paved, however you are using other roads throughout 3 Appendix A: April 28, 2014 Budget Q&A Session questions and answers the municipality, most of which are paved; same goes for streetlights, same goes for police. You don’t pay per call when the police officer shows up at your door; we all generally pay for police. So the short answer is a certain portion of our budget is based on usage such as water and sewer but most of the other costs are distributed generally as a tax based on assessed value. Because BC Assessment determines the value of property, we urge citizens to have a look at their assessment notice when they receive it to make sure it reasonably represents what you believe to be the value of your home. BC Assessment has an online tool that allows you to look up not only the assessment for your home for that of your neighbors’. You can then see how appropriate your assessment is and if you’re not happy with it contact BC Assessment. You can appeal your assessed value; you can’t appeal property taxes. (When it comes to infrastructure, such as sidewalks or street lights, these are typically installed by developers when they build a subdivision; the associated costs are factored into the purchase price of homes in these new subdivisions.) Question #5 – Part 2 The other element of that is Local Area Service? Answer That’s right, certain neighbourhoods have taken on initiatives of their own, whereby they ask for some improvements and then commit to paying for those through a special levy. That can, and has, happened on occasion. Question #6 What happens with the money the District gets from the Gaming Centre? Answer We have not had a gaming centre for that long, only the last two or three years. Before the Gaming Centre opened, municipal council had quite a conversation around a policy framework. Other communities have had gaming revenue long before it came to Maple Ridge and in those communities there has been considerable fluctuations in the revenues coming in. One of the questions that Council asked is what is the best utilization of that funding? Council decided to establish a policy framework around how to use that money so that we do not lock ourselves into relying on that funding for ongoing new programs. That is what we have been doing with that sort of revenue. I don’t have all the details with me on hand about its use, but largely it is policy based, trying to deal with one time type costs as opposed to locking into new additional services. That policy is available on our website. http://www.mapleridge.ca/DocumentCenter/View/2939 http://www.mapleridge.ca/DocumentCenter/View/3008 Question #7 The District offered financial incentives to encourage development in the town centre. How much did that cost the average homeowner? Answer It is perhaps worth explaining what the Town Centre Incentive Program was all about. The program was designed to encourage the sorts of developments that haven’t been happening for a period of time in our downtown area, not just the creation of single family homes, but of multi-storey projects. In order to encourage them, Council decided to provide a series of incentives, such as a break on building permit fees; a break on property taxes; expediting the processing of the applications related to them. There may have been a few other components there as well, but that is what the incentive 4 Appendix A: April 28, 2014 Budget Q&A Session questions and answers program was all about. Now, certainly, we are forgiving a portion of the permit revenue, certainly we are giving up a portion of the property tax revenue, but what happens if that project hadn’t happened in the first place? You wouldn’t have had that permit revenue; you wouldn’t have had the property taxes. Keeping in mind that these incentive programs aren’t forever; we don’t agree to waive the property taxes forever, but for a short duration of three years. After that third year expires, the full tax revenue comes back on line. So, the answer to the question, what did it cost the general taxpayers, when compared to the future benefit, nothing. Question #8 Why doesn’t the District look for revenue from other sources and not rely so heavily on property taxes? Answer Why do we rely so much on property taxes? We should begin by looking at our assessment base. When you look at all of the assessments in Maple Ridge, and we’re talking about the assessed values as determined by the BC Assessment Authority for everything within our boundaries, about 90% of it is residential and the other 10% includes some heavy industry, includes some commercial and so on and so forth. By far the largest piece is residential. We are not all that unusual when you compare us to the rest of the Lower Mainland – no one is at 50/50. Some might be in the high 70’s or low 80’s on the residential side, but no one around our neck of the woods is at 50/50 or even 60/40. Having said that, the 90% winds up paying about 70% of the property taxes that we need. What does that mean? It means that the other 10%, notably commercial, pays more. So, the way to stop that reliance is to work towards building up the commercial base and that is why Council has got an economic development strategy. Last time I looked at it, it had about 2 or 3 key pieces to it – the first one is around post secondary education. If we can get facilities like that happening here, we can keep more of our young people here and this is the segment of the population that spends just about all of its disposable income, those are the sorts of things that will help drive our community forward and to keep our young people here. I see some members in the audience with kids in that bracket that understand what I am talking about. That is what it is all about, about building up that portion of our tax base, that’s the future, otherwise, if that piece doesn’t change, we’ll continue to expect these sorts of increases for the next period of time. One of the questions that came up last year related to income sources was around non-property tax revenue sources; such as grant funding and we take advantage of that whenever we can, particularly the larger programs that the Feds and the Province participate in. Our staff are great at searching opportunities to pursue grants and Council is aware of them. We often go one step further than the norm. We are actually at the table with senior agencies, saying “have you thought about putting some money into this? Because it aligns with your job strategy or it aligns with your strategy to do good for the environment.” One initiative that we were involved with was with BC Hydro. So with work from our part, we were able to get BC Hydro to come to the table and fund some of the work that we would have had to otherwise pay for. So not only do we go after opportunities actively, we also encourage those that come into being in the first place. Question #9 Why don’t we just tag our tax increase with the Consumer Price Index, or the cost of living index, or inflation? Why do we come up with our own rate? Answer There are several consumer indices which is the first thing to keep in mind. Secondly, what is a consumer price index? If you pick one, it represents the change in prices on a basket of goods. A typical basket of goods includes items such as groceries, rent, mortgages, gas and heating. The consumer price index doesn’t include fire trucks, police, the sort of things we have to buy as a municipality. It’s not an apples to apples comparison. The municipality doesn’t buy the typical 5 Appendix A: April 28, 2014 Budget Q&A Session questions and answers basket of goods. The basket of goods we buy on behalf of our citizens is very different, thus the difference between our cost increases and what CPI might represent. Question #10 Why doesn’t the District offer garbage collection service? Answer When it comes to services we provide, we provide whatever the community wishes. At the end of the day, is garbage collection something that the taxpayers want and want to pay for? That is a question that Council has to wrestle with and over the past period of time, Council has wrestled with it at least two or three times and at the end of the day, Council was satisfied that there is a model in place that works for the community. That is a decision of Council. If Council decides on something different, then taxes would be different amount. Question #11 (received after closing) 1.(a) Given the recently-disclosed allegation that the north portion of the Thornhill Urban Reserve is in a Wildfire Hazard Area, has any money been allocated to provide city water for fire hydrants for that area? (b) Has an application been made for a federal grant to help pay for that city water? (c) Has any money been allocated to clear the trees along the DMR-owned 104th Avenue road allowance to create a firebreak to protect the residents who live in the alleged Wildfire Hazard Area? That road allowance has been partially cleared of trees to create a Horse Trail, and could be further cleared to create an effective firebreak. 2. If not, why not? 3. If so, how much and for what year? Answer provided after the close of the Q&A session A staff report will be presented at the May 12 Council workshop with the outcomes of a review of the proposed Development Permit Area, in response to concerns raised by Council at the January 7, 2013 Council workshop. Additionally, this report will provide an update on the process regarding the early and ongoing consultation requirements outlined in the Local Government Act. 6