Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil this Week 2015-04-20.pdfCatherine Nolan, Manager of Accounting, made a presentation to Coun- cil outlining highlights of the Annual Report on the City’s Reserves. Ms. Nolan described the circumstances under which the accumulated sur- plus, reserve funds and reserve accounts have been established and how the funding flows through these accounts. For example, the Sewer and Water Utility accounts are used to fund work on these two critical areas of infrastructure and provide stability for homeowners against large fluctuations in the annual Utility levies resulting from changes in regional infrastructure plans controlled by Metro Vancouver. Ms. Nolan walked Council through the Reserve Funds, the balances, why they were established and explained that there are often funds flowing in and out of the accounts in the same year based on projects in the Financial Plan. She also briefly reviewed the Reserve Accounts, which are established or dissolved by Council, based on the business needs of the City. There was some discussion relating to how these funds can be used to deal with emerging issues in the community. Ms. Nolan also took the oppor- tunity to provide Council with a quick review of the 2014 Consolidated 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 Inside This Issue:  Reserves  Fibre Optic Network  Remedial Action for the Demolition of Derelict/Unsafe Homes  Bylaw Dispute Adjudication for Parking Tickets  Solid Waste Collection  Demolition of Vacant, City Owned Homes  Parkland Acquisition Process Reserves April 20, 2015 Reserves ...cont’d Financial Statements Report to save them a presentation at the Committee of the Whole (COW) Meeting later in the day. The Reserves Report was received as information and the appropriate vote on the 2014 Consoli- dated Financial Statements will take place as part of the COW agenda. Council This Week Page 2 Council reviewed reports on two properties;  22332 122 Avenue  12667 227 Street Council moved the recommendations that the owners of the above two properties be required to perform the remedial action requirements within 30 days of receipt of the resolution from Council. Fibre Optic Network—Status Update and Proposed Next Steps John Bastaja, Director of Corporate Support, reviewed the Fibre Optic Network – Status Update and Proposed Next Steps report with Council. Council engaged in a conversation relating to the development of wireless capacity in the community and how the fibre network is part of that broad issue. Mr. Bastaja explained that while wireless use has increased exponentially, the back- bone of the wireless capacity is the fibre optic network that supports these uses. The two issues are related. Council asked that Mr. Bastaja make a presentation to the Economic Advisory Commission for input and bring the issue back to Council once that discussion has taken place. Remedial Action for the Demolition of Derelict/Nuisance/ Unsafe Structures Council This Week Page 3 Bylaw Dispute Adjudication for Parking Tickets Liz Holitzki, Manager of Licences, Permits & Bylaws, presented Council with an overview of a report outlining the proposal that the City of Maple Ridge move forward with the creation of a By- law Dispute Adjudication system to replace the current system used to deal with parking tickets. Ms. Holitzki noted that the current system is complicated; time consuming, costly and lengthy with trial dates occurring many months after the original infraction. The new system allows for the individual with a ticket to have their ticket screened for possible settlement and a second oppor- tunity to have their ticket dispute with an outside Adjudicator. The report outlines the process that would be used to create a faster and more efficient resolution of a parking ticket. Council passed the recommendation. Solid Waste Collection—Issues for Consideration David Pollock, Municipal Engineer, provided Council with a report encapsulating their questions on the topic of solid waste collection raised at the March 30, 2015 Council Workshop meeting. The goal is to ensure that all of the issues are covered in the subsequent report that will be coming to Council. Council provided feedback on the interim report and clarified some of the issues that they would like to see included in the upcoming report. Council also expressed concern that the discussion they are having is being misinterpreted by some parties in the community. Council members clarified that the discussion is very broad at this point, and that the idea is to look at a variety of different models to manage the solid waste stream in Maple Ridge. No decisions have been made at this time. Council members provided Mr. Pollock with a number of comments and questions that should be captured in the upcoming report and received the report as information. 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. Council This Week Page 4 Demolition of Vacant, City-Owned Homes Update Council received a report on the costs associated with the demolition of three vacant, City-owned properties. Council reviewed the report and moved the recommendation that the demolitions proceed based on the quote from T&T Demolition. Parkland Acquisition Process Darrell Denton, Property & Risk Manager presented a report to Council outlining the process by which parklands are acquired for the City. The report outlines the mechanisms used to designate and acquire new park sites, and the various methods that are used to fund these purchases. The report covered each of the methods of acquisition and outlined some of the issues relating to this process, noting that the parkland acquisitions are primarily funded through Development Cost Charges (DCC). The report notes that a review of the DCC rates should be done to ensure that the required funds will be in place to fund park acquisitions especially in light of increasing real estate costs. Council had an extensive conversation around the issue and noted that some additional work may be required to ensure that taxpayers get the best value for parklands based on the process- es used and the funding mechanism. Council thanked Mr. Denton for the report and received it as information.