CAO UPDATE
An administrative report providing highlights of municipal activities across departments including finance, IT, and engineering for December 2023.
TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE: January 3, 2024
FROM: Sarah Jones, Acting CAO
MEETING DATE: January 9, 2024
CAO UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report dated January 3, 2024 from the Acting Chief Administrative Officer titled “CAO Update” be received 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:
Front counter staff continue to be busy with business licence, dog tag, and secondary suite renewals.
Staff assisted members of Council with a festive contest, ‘Light Up View Royal’, in December. A total of twenty nominations were received and addresses will be selected by Council to receive prizes for best Christmas light displays in Town.
December saw long-service recognition for one employee with fifteen years of service to the Town.
Two half days of customer service training were provided to approximately twenty members of staff in early December in alignment with the Strategic Plan’s emphasis on enhanced customer service and which includes service excellence as one of its six priority areas.
The Director of Corporate Administration completed the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification training course provided through Laurentian University.
Kindergarten students from View Royal Elementary School dropped by with a handmade poster to express their appreciation for all the Town does to make living in the municipality an enjoyable experience for them. The students also provided their own words of thanks, noting safe streets, bicycle lanes, playgrounds, the new mural, seasonal lighting, and the bike pump track at View Royal Park as highlights. They walked back to school with mandarin oranges and candy canes from the Town to enjoy en route.
Finance:
The Town’s auditor, MNP, completed their 2023 interim audit remotely in early December. Leveraging the capabilities of Microsoft 365 tools and collaborating via Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, staff were able to track and respond to audit requests in a timely manner. Staff’s focus is working toward closure of the 2023 fiscal year end and preparation of the 2023 financial statements and year-end audit, scheduled for early April 2024.
A total of 420 business license renewals were issued to business owners, a slight decrease from 428 in 2022, with 143 payments made before December 31. Of the 143 payments, 57 (40%) were transacted online via the Town's Business License online service, compared to 41% in 2022.
The 2024-2028 financial planning process continues with senior management budget meetings as well as staff investigating Council initiatives. Draft financial plan workshops are scheduled for February 13-20, 2024.
In December, Information Technology (IT) staff completed the migration of the phone system to Microsoft Teams, with the assistance of consultants. The project was delayed due to factors beyond staff’s control, and while there were a few minor issues, the project was completed with no significant loss of service. Staff can now access voice calls and voice mail from any location using Microsoft Teams on a desktop computer or mobile device. Staff received training on how to use the system, with additional training for IT staff on how to make changes to the system’s configuration.
Development Services:
The Development Services team continued to be busy for in December, responding to a consistent number of zoning, land use, building, and business licence inquiries, and reviewing and processing development applications. During the month, four new applications were received as summarized in the following table:
| Application Type | Number of Applications |
|---|---|
| Rezoning | 0 |
| Development Permit | 0 |
| Development Variance Permit | 0 |
| Temporary Use Permit | 0 |
| Subdivision | 0 |
| Sign Permit | 0 |
| Board of Variance | 0 |
| Building Permit | 1 |
| Plumbing Permit | 0 |
| Business Licence | 3 |
At the end of November, the Province adopted Bill 35 – Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act, Bill 44 – Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, Bill 46 – Housing Statutes (Development Financing) Amendment Act, and Bill 47 – Housing Statutes (Transit-Oriented Areas) Amendment Act. In December, the Province published further details, policy manuals and technical resources to support municipalities in the implementation of the new housing legislation. The Province has provided municipalities with a specific timeline to implement the housing legislation over the next two years. In January 2024, staff will bring forward a Council report to further discuss a proposed workplan, and the staff and resource implications to complete this work in accordance with the Province’s mandated timeline.
The Town was awarded $95,000 from the 2023 Spring BC Community Emergency Preparedness Fund Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Adaptation grant to carry out the Coastal Adaptation Plan Phase 1: Refined Modelling and Mapping of Sea Level Rise and Tsunami Risks and Supplemental Data for the Hazard Risks Vulnerability Analysis (HRVA). In December, the contract to carry out the data collection and mapping (phase 1) was awarded to Associated Engineering.
Engineering & Parks:
Streets & Roads
Seasonal decorations were installed throughout the Town’s featured road corridors, with many compliments being sent to the Town throughout December.
Construction on the new roundabout at Six Mile Road and Atkins Road is well underway. Deep drainage works and rough site grading were completed during the month of December (see image below).
Staff responded to an emergency removal of a fallen Garry Oak tree at the end of Eaton Avenue. No damage or injuries occurred, and the works were complex given the coordination required with BC Hydro and Capital Regional District Parks (due to the proximity to Galloping Goose Regional Trail – see image below).
Protective chain link fencing was installed atop the concrete barricades at the falling rock hazard on Island Highway near the Colwood interchange. Staff continue to work with a professional geotechnical engineer and contractors on a long-term solution.
Parks
The Town’s Invasive Species coordinator along with many volunteers were busy in December. One of the highlights was the completion of the Stillwater Road end project. Invasive species were removed and new native plants installed. Parks staff constructed a split rail fence and installed signage to finish off this capital project (see image below).
Phase 1 Stormwater improvements at View Royal Park have wrapped up and staff continue to monitor the establishment of native plantings installed by the contractor and the Greater Victoria Green Teams group. Berm work was done to reduce extra costs (no offsite hauling required) and is incorporated as part of the initiative to keep pets out of the new swale. This work provides additional aid to the split rail fencing improvements that are in progress.
As part of Capital Project C-098, a new tilt deck trailer has been purchased and is now in use. This will make transporting equipment to sites much easier and more efficient (see image below).
December also saw the purchase of a new 1 tonne work truck in keeping with the fleet replacement plan. The truck is currently being customized with View Royal decals and work lights and is expected to be in service in January 2024.
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report dated January 3, 2024 from the Chief Administrative Officer titled “CAO Update” be received for information.
SUBMITTED BY:
S. Jones, Acting Chief Administrative Officer
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