Staff Report: CAO UPDATE

CAO UPDATE

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the Committee receive the July 6, 2017 CAO Update Report for information.

PURPOSE OF REPORT:

To provide Council with information from the office of the CAO regarding material events and happenings at Town Hall.

BACKGROUND:

An Administrator’s report for the Committee of the Whole meeting, to apprise Council of the highlights of significant activities of the Town.

INFORMATION:

Administration

The Canada 150 Celebration at the historic Craigflower Manor on Saturday, July 1st was a success. The Town of View Royal, the Victoria Highland Games Association and Volunteer View Royal worked together to create a vibrant community event that was well attended. The many activities planned for children and families and the community associations that participated created a fun, family friendly environment.

While there was an early flurry of activity after the property tax notices were mailed out in late May, activity at the front counter has increased significantly in June and particularly late in the month. The Administration and Finance Departments’ staff had long days greeting and assisting property owners coming in to pay their property tax.

The Draft Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2016 has been available for public review and comment since the third week of June. This document will be before Council for adoption at its meeting set for July 18, 2017. The Report provides highlights from and achievements made during 2016.

At the July 4, 2017 Council meeting, students from Eagle View Elementary School, who won the street light banner contest were presented with a certificate of achievement, banner and Town pin.

Finance:

The month of June represents one of the busier seasons for the finance department with the processing of tax payments, home owner grants and deferred tax applications. The following key performance indicators (KPIs) are useful to understand work load pressures and to monitor trends:

Staff are looking at ways to gain efficiencies while continuing a high level of service to internal and external customers.

Development Services

Development Services is hard at work to wrap up two major applications before summer break. Christie Point and the proposed redevelopment of the Thetis Lake Campground property are both significant applications that advance a number of goals and objectives in the Official Community Plan and the Strategic Plan. A public Hearing for the Thetis Lake site is scheduled for July 18, 2017. Covenants are being prepared for the Christie Point site to secure off-site improvements and the amenity contribution.

Over the summer months Mayor Screech, the CAO and the Director of Development Services will be engaged in the Regional Growth Strategy non-binding dispute resolution process. A contract with McKeachie Dispute Resolution Services is being finalized and information about next steps and a schedule of meetings should be available in the coming weeks.

With staff from Protective Services, we are participating in meetings coordinated by the CRD on the issue of derelict boats. The Town of View Royal is already in a strong position in relation to this matter as our zoning bylaw prohibits live-aboard vessels in all areas of the town. The Capital Regional District is looking to find a coordinated solution to problem boats throughout the region. In consultation with municipal staff, a comprehensive understanding of the issues facing municipalities around long term anchoring and derelict/abandoned vessels, and the different regulations they have in place, are being summarized in advance of further discussion over the summer. The working group plans to meet on a monthly basis until fall 2017 when options for approaching the issue can be reported to the CRD Board of Directors. Potential support for this initiative could come from the recently announced Federal Ocean Protection Plan, including a five-year, $6.85m fund to prevent and clean up abandoned and derelict vessels. $1.3m of that money will support harbour authorities and other eligible recipients to help with removal and disposal costs.

The summer months lend themselves to thinking about policy and project work for the fall. Staff will begin work on an update to the Parks and Public Places bylaw over the summer. Content will address a number of ongoing issues in parks including camping, events and space rental for activities such as pop-up markets, and will provide opportunities for Council to consider how these topics might be tailored for View Royal.

Also in the works is an RFP for the next segment of the Chilco Trail Plan, and work with PREAC and residents on alignment of a trail stub to connect Phases 6 and 7 of the development.

Terms of Reference for studies related to the long term development of lands in the Hospital area and on the Island Highway corridors will come forward for Council approval in the fall, prior to RFP’s being issued. Work on further revisions to the Sign Bylaw is also on the agenda for the summer months and will be presented to Council in the fall.

Bike to Work Week continues to be a very successful event for the Town of View Royal. This year the Town had ten riders, including a rider that had never before participated in a Bike to Work Week (who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent). Over 750km was ridden by staff that week, reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere roughly equivalent to the weight of 800 penguins. While there was a clear and rather effortless victory by cycling staff over driver Mayor Screech in the Commuter Challenge from the Town Hall to downtown Victoria, the real winners again this year were nature, public health, the liveability and sustainability of the region, and bike shops. Bicycle infrastructure in the region continues to expand, including the recent separated bike lane on Pandora Ave. These improvements are pushing the CRD to its stated goal of becoming ‘the first Canadian metropolitan area to be as cool as Portland, Oregon’. Town of View Royal staff is proud to contribute to the cycling culture in the Town and look forward to another year of commuting and living on two wheels.

Engineering

Pavement rehabilitation projects on Atkins Road East of Six Mile Road & Hospital Way are now complete.

The Hallowell Road Agreement has been signed, and staff are working on next steps.

The Price Bay Pump Station project continues. The new control kiosk has been installed, and we are waiting for BC Hydro to switch power from the old kiosk. The rock wall will be the next step, once the power transfer has occurred.

As part of the Kayak Launch on Shoreline Drive project, View Royal has partnered to complete oyster compensation work (reef balls) by World Fisheries Trust as a habitat compensation measure for the loss of native Pacific Oyster habitat caused by the new boat launch. The reef balls will be pre-seeded with native oysters in the natural hatchery of the Gorge, and then moved to a shallow subtidal mud environment (Fisherman’s Wharf) where native oyster populations need reinforcement.

Newstead Park playground replacement equipment has been ordered, and will feature a new play structure with slides and climbers; four swings - two belt swings, one tot bucket swing and one Expression Swing (shown below); as well as a "spinner cup". The Park was closed effective July 5, and work will begin to excavate, install curbs and drainage, installation of the concrete pad as well the swing base prior to the arrival of the equipment.

A third water standpipe has been installed in the View Royal Park Community Garden to provide better access for the new expansion plots. The pole used for the standpipe has been left at 8 feet, and in future will have a “roof” installed to house mason bees.

Lifecycles has been busy in Welland Legacy Park. In addition to the regular volunteer work parties, upcoming events include a summer pruning workshop on July 22 and a summer grafting workshop on August 5th.

Protective Services

June continued where May left off with a steady increase in work volumes for all three Divisions.

The Fire Chief has been working with Songhees and Esquimalt Nation on their Fire Protection Agreement renewal contracts. The updated and revised Fire Protection and Life Safety Bylaw will be coming to Council once the draft has been reviewed by legal.

Calls for service continue to maintain themselves at historically high levels, with June seeing just under 100 emergency callouts for the Fire Department. Calls of note included a continuance of overdoses, an increase in cycling accidents, three structural fires and the near drownings at Thetis Lake. Thetis Lake continues to be a focus point, as it has in the past decades. Considerable resources are allocated to rescue and medical emergencies in the park. The Fire Department responded to their first fire of the year at Thetis Lake and with the continued hot weather, calls for fires in the Park will be realized during July and August.

Interviews will commence for the replacement of the full-time Fire Inspector. With an expected completion by the end of July and an anticipated September start date.

The Building Department continues to maintain a steady stream of plan reviews and inspections of existing projects. Projects of note in stream are 280 Island Highway, Glentana Road, 1950 Watkiss Way, phase 6 and 7 at Limona, 301 Nursery Hill Drive and the Casino, these along with several residential projects and renovations.

Bylaw files are also steady with homeless camping and transient occupation of areas dominating work load. The Bylaw Officer has been working closely with Westshore RCMP on several files specific to camping.

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the Committee receive the July 6, 2017 CAO Update Report for information.

SUBMITTED BY: K. Anema, Chief Administrative Officer