TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION REPORT: CAO UPDATE

CAO UPDATE

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated March 8, 2023 from the 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:

In mid-February, the Director of Corporate Administration participated as a panel member with retired Mayor, Frank Leonard, and Registered Parliamentarian, Lisa Zwarn, at the Local Government Leadership Academy’s (LGLA) Elected Officials Seminar Series held in Nanaimo. The panel presented a lively session on meeting procedures and answered questions from the audience. The content for the presentation was developed by the Director of Corporate Administration along with a handful of colleagues around the province and was part of the province-wide, five stop Elected Officials Seminar Series. The LGLA is a leadership development initiative that serves local government and First Nations elected officials and senior administrators throughout British Columbia by improving the competencies needed to effectively manage and lead communities.

Administration staff have been finalizing the Spring/Summer Newsletter which will be delivered to residents and businesses at the end of March to the beginning of April. The newsletter is posted to the Town's website so those that have subscribed to receive updates will receive an electronic version.

Staff have been working with colleagues from six other Corporate Administration departments in the central/western part of the Capital Regional District to meet the requirements of the Accessible BC Act by the September 2023 deadline. A report is included in the March 2023 Committee of the Whole agenda package detailing the proposed shared and streamlined approach.

Administration staff have concluded staffing competitions for the Building Inspector and Bylaw Enforcement Officer positions. Competitions are still underway to hire a new GIS Technician, and three summer student positions for Engineering and Parks.

Spring cleaning has been underway in the Archives, and a review of the queue of donated materials and the intake procedures is being refreshed with project packages being prepared from the queue for processing by in-person volunteer sessions over the summer months.

The rollover of annual records is now complete with more than twenty semi-active boxes of records being moved to the storage room.

Finance:

The Proposed 2023-2027 Financial Plan was distributed to Council and staff at the beginning of February with budget workshops held over several meetings between February 15-22. Staff updated the proposed Financial Plan to reflect Council decisions and are preparing the Citizen Budget public engagement tool, through which residents can provide their own input on the Financial Plan. Citizen Budget is scheduled for launch to the public on March 13, 2023.

Staff have also been focused on finalizing the 2022 financial statements, in preparation for the year-end audit scheduled for April 11. The Town’s auditor, MNP, will continue to conduct their audit work remotely.

Development Services:

Development Services continued to be busy for the month of February with an increase in zoning, land use and building inquiries, and processing development applications.

On February 22, 2023, the Town and Westshore Chamber of Commerce jointly hosted a business mixer event at Town Hall for the local business community. It was attended by Mayor and Council, thirty business representatives, and Westshore Chamber staff. The event was an opportunity for people to network and share ideas to help make the Town an even better place to do business. It was enjoyed by all and well-received by the business community.

Engineering:

Hiring for a fulltime GIS Technician position and three summer student positions (two Park Workers and one Engineering Intern) is in progress.

Drainage inspections were completed throughout the Town to ensure proper functioning and good condition of the network.

Construction at the Helmcken Bay Pump Station is in its final stages with electrical and underground works completed.

Grading and concrete preparation at Helmcken Bay Pump Station

The circular medallions that display the Town’s logo on streetlights along Helmcken Road were taken down and refurbished with fresh imaging.

A large Garry Oak tree within the boulevard on Burnside Road West near the Town’s eastern border with Saanich was taken down after staff were notified of signs of impending uprooting.

The BC Transit HandyDART project has commenced construction of its onsite buildings. Offsite improvements at this site are complete with the exception of a future sidewalk on Burnside Road West that will connect the development to the sidewalk on Watkiss Way.

The View Royal Park Stormwater Management Upgrades Tender closed on March 9th, 2023. Staff are reviewing the bids and will be recommending award of the project at a future Council meeting.

Tree seedlings were purchased in bulk and are waiting in cold storage to be planted throughout the year. The Town’s Habitat Restoration Program Coordinator and volunteers planted 70 seedlings in View Royal and Aldersmith Parks. Parks staff have covered several parks with 340 seedlings. Seedlings planted in previous years continue to thrive in View Royal Parks.

Douglas Fir seedling planted at Eagle Creek Park in 2023 (left) and a Grand Fir planted in 2019 (right).

The Greater Victoria Green Team engaged with over 150 students, teachers, and parents from Eagle View Elementary School to remove five cubic metres of invasives plants, reclaiming approximately 214 square metres of Aldersmith Park.

As part of View Royal’s Parks Vehicle Replacement Plan, a new truck has been purchased and integrated into the department’s fleet.

Protective Services:

2022 realized a record year for call outs, both emergency and non-emergency events. COVID created a vacuum where many medical events were not attended to, however with the lifting of restrictions, a sharp increase in calls for service across the board was realized.

A competition was initiated to recruit new volunteers. Although several applications were received, it was reduced significantly when applicants were informed of the training and response requirements. The department has taken 6 new recruits on strength. They will be on probation for 6-12 months and at the completion of probation they will assume roles within the organization. All six recruits are fully trained and qualified to NFPA 1001 Firefighter training standards.

Our Westshore Fire initiatives continue with success. Changes to our response logics and mutual response have streamlined how the Westshore attends mutual emergencies. Our goal is to achieve NFPA 1710 requirements for 1st alarm residential structure fires by 2024.

We are acutely aware of the additional burdens placed on our volunteers and career staff. To that end, Langford has approved 27 new FTE firefighter hires over the next 3 years. This combined with View Royal’s request for 5 FTE positions and Colwood’s 2024 request will realize significant improvements in fire protection for the entire Westshore.

The department is appreciative to Mayor and Council for their 2023 budget deliberations and considerations towards the Fire Department. Requested capital and non-core approvals keep the department modern and well equipped for the future. We are still expecting the delivery of a new class 1 fire engine in Q2 2024.

TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION REPORT: CAO UPDATE