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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil this Week 2015-02-16.pdfKelly Swift, General Manager: Community Development, Parks & Recre- ation Services, provided Council with a presentation of the 2014 Joint Parks & Leisure Services Model Review that exists between Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. Ms. Swift started by noting that the agreement was first established in 1994, and that there have been periodic reviews of the agreement leading up to the 2014 review. She also explained that the Joint Service Agreement has been established by bylaws in both communities dele- gating specific responsibilities and powers to the Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Parks & Leisure Services Commission. The 2014 review was conducted by an independent consultant whose services were paid for equally by both communities. Ms. Swift provided Council with an outline of the process used to conduct the review and the final report. The consultant noted that the benefits to citizens in both communities were; Cont’d... City of Maple Ridge Council This Week Maple Ridge 11995 Haney Place Maple Ridge, BC V2X 6A9 Canada Tel: 604-463-5221 Fax: 604-467-7329 Website Enquiries Email Unsubscribe Inside This Issue:  Joint Parks & Leisure Services Model Review Update  Fire Department Work Plan Overview  LMLGA Resolutions Working Group Joint Parks & Leisure Services Model Review Update February 16, 2015 Joint Parks & Leisure Services Model Review Update ...cont’d 1. Equitable access to services 2. Access to technical resources 3. Service benefits to the public (one-stop shopping) 4. Coordinated planning 5. Economies of scale/cost effectiveness The consultant identified a sixth benefit relating to the fact that School District No. 42 is a partner in the Joint Service Agreement that provides benefits to citizens in both communities. The report noted that the financial benefit to Pitt Meadows was greater than the benefit to Maple Ridge. There was also discussion relating to the ‘stresses and strains’ of the model and a number of remedies to deal with these issues. Ms. Swift reported that there is an upcoming joint meeting between the two Councils where some of the larger issues could be discussed. She also explained that a regular review of the agree- ment has been established as there were a number of factors that might change the benefit equation and render the joint services model as unworkable in the future. Things like population growth or the development of a new aquatic facility could tip the scales on the larger economic part of the discussion. Council had a number of questions and comments and thanked Ms. Swift for the update. Council This Week Page 2 Fire Department Work Plan Overview Dane Spence, Fire Chief of the Maple Ridge Fire Department, presented the 2015 Work Plan Overview for the Fire Department and provided a verbal summary of some of the highlights of the report. Chief Spence noted that the goal of the department is to protect life, property and the en- vironment. He noted that there are six career chief positions, 52 career firefighters and 64 paid - on-call members who respond to large incidents. He reported that the Fire Department handles approximately 3,300 calls a year and noted that some of the leadership team are providing their knowledge and expertise to provincial and national associations. He noted three highlights from the 2014 Work Plan as the development and introduction of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan Bylaw, the Fire Underwriters Survey/Superior Tender Shuttle Service accreditation and the Fire Hall No. 2 paid-on-call recruitment and retention drive. Chief Spence reported on the performance metrics with regard to response time, inspections of multi-family dwellings and the charitable work of the firefighters in the community. He spoke Fire Department Work Plan Overview ...cont’d about the 2015 Work Plan focus on derelict and abandoned buildings and indicated that he would be back before Council to look at ways that we can be more proactive in dealing with these properties. He also spoke of agreements for Mutual Aid with Mission and the ongoing work on the new col- lective agreement for fire department staff. He finished his presentation by noting that the best way to mitigate the growth in costs for fire protection services is to ensure that the Sprinkler By- law and Wildfire Protection Bylaw remain strong. Council asked the Chief a number of questions regarding their capital replacement program for vehicles and asked for clarification of how the work on the Superior Tender Shuttle Service might be of benefit to citizens who are buying fire insurance outside the urban area. Council thanked Chief Spence for his report. Council This Week Page 3 Lower Mainland Local Government Association (LMLGA) Resolutions Working Group Council had a brief discussion around the process of crafting resolutions for the Lower Mainland Local Government Association (LMLGA) including the best practices, the past history of Maple Ridge resolutions and the need to write very tight, focused resolutions where local government can get clarity and action from senior levels of government. Council voted to set up a working group consisting of Councillors Bell, Masse, Duncan and Speirs to develop draft resolutions to bring back to Council for a final vote at a later meeting. Please Note! Council This Week is an informal summary of the reports and discussion of Council’s work at Workshop. This document will provide links to all reports and presentations that were provided to Council as part of their deliberations. The comments are not the official minutes of the meeting. These notes are intended to capture the essence of the discussion so that citizens can keep in touch with the work of Council in this public meeting. This version of Council This Week has been modified to a more accessible version that better meets the needs of our citizens with visual impairments.