CAO UPDATE

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated May 3, 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:

Staff from Administration and Parks worked with Eagle View Elementary School to rehome the surplus air photo from Council Chambers. The 16’ wide X 8’ high image is now prominently displayed at the school where the students reportedly enjoy learning about the municipality from a bird’s eye view.

Following up from the March 14 Committee of the Whole and April 4 Council meetings, the Director of Corporate Administration attended the April 20 Intermunicipal Advisory Committee on Disability Issues (IACDI). At that meeting, it was decided that the Corporate Officers from the partner municipalities would meet with representatives from IACDI on potential revised terms of reference for an accessibility committee in response to the new Accessible BC Act.

Administration staff have concluded staffing competitions for a new GIS Technician, Engineering Intern and two Parks Worker - Student positions. New staff will be starting in early May.

Canada Day planning continued in April, including bookings related to the upcoming July 1st events.

Invitations for the upcoming Volunteer Appreciation Dinner scheduled for late May have been sent out.

An in-person Archives meeting was held with volunteers in April, planning has been restarted for future exhibits, including a special display on Cole Island.

The Records Coordinator/Archivist attended the conference on information access held at the end of April. The day-long event took place at Camosun College and included presentations from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, the Legislature of British Columbia, the Royal BC Museum and University of British Columbia Indian Residential School, History and Dialogue Centre. The Town was recognized as a sponsor for printing the signage and agendas.

Finance:

The audit team from MNP conducted the 2022 year-end financial audit in April. The audit was completed virtually and resulted in an unmodified (clean) audit opinion of the 2022 Consolidated Financial Statements.

Results from Citizen Budget engagement were reported for Council’s consideration at the April 11 Committee of the Whole meeting. Council also considered the 2023-2027 Financial Plan and 2023 tax rates in April, directing staff to prepare bylaws for adoption in May.

Property tax notice preparation is well underway. Home Owner Grant and Property Tax Deferment programs will continue to be administered by the Province and applications will not be received by the Town; instead, residents must apply directly to the Province. Staff are undertaking active messaging via the property tax notice and insert, the Town website and social media, and will also participate with other municipalities in a large newspaper advertisement.

In-house training was provided to staff in the Administration and Engineering Departments for an online survey tool which is included with the Town’s Microsoft 365 license, saving View Royal the cost of using a separate subscription service.

Cybercrime prevention is an ongoing priority at the Town and in April staff were provided with online training centered around Social Engineering red flags.

Development Services:

The Development Services team continued to be busy for the month of April responding to a consistent number of zoning, land use, building, and business license inquiries, and reviewing and processing development applications. In April, Planning received two new development applications, including one rezoning and one development permit, as well as one new subdivision application. Building Services received one new building permit application in April.

Staff continue to work on critical tasks to support the implementation of the new draft building bylaw, which was introduced at the Committee of the Whole in March. In April, staff had three sessions with the Town’s software provider to assist with updates to the building permit software modules.

Engineering:

The full-time GIS Technician position has been filled.

Funding has been awarded to the Town through the Federal Government’s “Canada Summer Jobs” grant program. Funding is to be used to hire three summer student employees (2 x Parks Workers and 1 x Engineering Intern) between May and September 2023.

Under the Resident Tree Planting Program, the inaugural tree giveaway event was a success! On Earth Day, April 22, 2023, nineteen trees were provided to residents to plant on their properties. All tree species provided were native to our region. Applications for the program are open, with a cut-off date of May 31st for the next event in fall 2023.

Funding has been awarded to the Town through the “Provincial Infrastructure Planning” Grant for the Integrated Stormwater Management Plan project. This project is currently scheduled for 2024.

The Town was successful in being awarded the same grant for the Strategic Asset Management Plan. This project is currently scheduled for 2023.

Sewer pump station maintenance has been ongoing. Of note, wet well access improvements were completed at the View Royal pump station while rail hangers and support braces were replaced at the Norquay pump station.

The damaged bus shelter on Burnside Road W. next to Eaton Avenue has been replaced and upgraded to the new standard. Road reflectors were installed throughout the roadway curves on that same stretch of Burnside Road W. Spring boulevard maintenance and annual flower plantings are underway. The damaged watering fountain at the corner of Pheasant Lane and Helmcken Road was replaced.

Staff continue to receive updates from the BC Transit HandyDART site, especially regarding the ongoing piling works. The last update occurred late April, highlighting that crews are on track to complete piling on schedule (mid-May). BC Transit noted their appreciation of residents’ patience during this phase and continue to delay their Saturday start time to offer some reprieve. Following this phase will be concrete pours. BC Transit will continue to work with staff on managing expectations.

As part of the Parks Vehicle Replacement Plan, the new zero-turn mower has arrived. Staff have been trained on operation and maintenance and it is now in regular use - very timely as spring weather yields rapid grass growth.

Also arriving are two attachments for the John Deere Tractor. The 4-in-1 front loading bucket and backhoe attachment will enhance operations using existing equipment.

Occurrences of graffiti and garbage dumping have been steadily increasing in public spaces such as parks and bus stops. Below are recent images from Chancellor Park over the last weekend in April.

In partnership with the View Royal Park Community Garden Society, staff attended a meet and greet and seed exchange event on April 29, 2023. Staff engaged participants, gathering feedback on their experiences with the community garden at View Royal Park and answered questions on upcoming changes to the Community Garden Policy. A survey has been sent to current and waitlisted gardeners, soliciting further feedback on these changes.

Protective Services:

The Fire Department has recruited six new members for its spring intake. The current roster is at thirty-two members, this includes career and volunteer members, with four vacancies. The training division anticipates another intake in the fall to fill vacancies. The Department is now taking applications for qualified volunteer firefighters who live outside the View Royal municipal boundaries. Five of the six recruits are NFPA 1001 Firefighter qualified and will be working night shifts beginning in June.

The Fire Chief recently initiated the renewal of our Fire Dispatch agreement with Surrey Fire Dispatch. The Town has received exemplary service from Surrey at substantial savings to the Town. Currently six of the seven local departments have renewed their contracts with the final department in process.

On April 4, 2023, the Fire Department responded to a reported commercial fire at Victoria General Hospital. Two deliberately lit fires were burning on the fourth floor of the south patient tower. Forty firefighters with nine chief officers and seven pieces of firefighting apparatus were on scene to manage the incident. Both fires were contained, and damage was limited to the rooms of origin. Many thanks to our automatic and mutual aid partners in the City of Colwood, District of Langford, and Township of Esquimalt for attending. Additional assistance was also provided by the District of Saanich Fire Department at the request of the Town’s Fire Chief, with standby availability from City of Victoria Fire Department. We are grateful to have resources available even in circumstances where there is no mutual aid agreement.

Further to the fire, on April 25, 2023, the Fire Chief recognized seven employees of the Vancouver Island Health Authority with Chiefs Commendations for their actions in controlling the fires and evacuating patients. The staff actions were commendable and prevented further harm to patients.

The Labour Relations Board considered the application from Fire Fighters at the Town of View Royal. Labour Relations Board has certified the View Royal Fire Fighters’ Association, International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 5419 for a unit of employees employed by Town of View Royal. Collective bargaining will take place in due course.

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated May 3, 2023, from the Chief Administrative Officer titled “CAO Update” be received for information.

SUBMITTED BY: K. Anema, Chief Administrative Officer