CAO UPDATE

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated December 3, 2020 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:

The Chief Public Health Officer’s November 19 announcement of Province-wide COVID-19 restrictions brought about some changes in the workplace. All staff must now do a “daily health check” prior to beginning their work for the day. Finance and Administration staff are working to simplify this process through the creation of an app. Non-medical masks are now required to be worn not only by the public in the foyer, but also by staff in all common areas of the Town’s worksites. Additional signage has been posted and the Town Hall COVID-19 Safety Plan has been updated as required.

Administration staff have been busy at the front counter processing secondary suite renewals, sewer utility payments and dog tag renewals. Business licence renewals have recently been mailed out which will add to the activity at the front counter. While there are still customers coming into Town Hall, many payments are “contactless” – coming in via mail or drop box through the drop box located at the front doors.

Staff are currently involved in the hiring process for an Engineering Clerk. Applications have been received and it is anticipated that the position will be filled in late December.

The Archive volunteers continue to enjoy weekly phone meetings and look forward to resuming physically distanced meetings in the Council Chambers when pandemic restrictions ease.

The Archives display currently holds some of the reference books from the Archives’ library. In November the Town purchased the remaining stock of Maureen Duffus’ “Craigflower Country” book from the Friends of Cole Island Society. The books are being promoted for sale on the Town’s social media for holiday gift-giving. Residents and friends are continually encouraged in Town communications to contact the Archives with questions or for help with research.

Ongoing records initiatives include a joint Finance/Administration project for records migration to facilitate the retirement of a server; coordinating the upcoming file rollover for 2021, and the drafting of a comprehensive records manual.

The Town’s annual United Way campaign finished in November with staff raising a grand total of $7,825 for 2021! The Executive Assistant also accepted the 2020 Outstanding Employee Campaign Chair Spirit Award from United Way for her work in coordinating the Town’s employee campaigns since 2011.

Finance:

Finance staff issued 2020 sewer utility invoices in October and received payments throughout November. As indicated in the chart below, approximately 73% of payments to the end of November were made online. This is an increase from 70% in 2018 and 2019, and we expect this percentage to increase even more as the sewer invoice payment deadline is December 23, 2020.

IT and Business Licence staff completed the business licence online platform project that will enable residents to search for licenced businesses in View Royal through a link on the View Royal website. Business owners now have the capability through our Online Services portal to view transaction history of their business licence account and pay for business licence renewals online with their credit card.

Departments have been working in conjunction with Finance toward preparation for February 2021 budget workshops. Finance is also focused on preparing for the 2020 interim audit from MNP, the Town’s auditors, scheduled for early December.

Development Services:

Development Services has been preparing for significant policy work in 2021-22, balancing that against anticipated development permit applications stemming from recently rezoned properties.

The Climate Action Primer that the Committee received in November is the first step in a number of activities relating to the Community Climate Action Strategy. The grant application has been submitted, and now it is a matter of waiting to hear back from Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The grant application review is expected to be completed in February and staff will report back to Council on any news received. As well, staff are awaiting the results of the grant application review for the Hart Road Lime Kiln project and have been advised that the reviews are taking longer than anticipated. Results will not be available until January at the earliest. The newly approved View Royal Park Master Plan has been posted on the Town’s website.

In November, the Director of Development Services co-presented a webinar on Ethics and Professional Practice for the Canadian Institute of Planners National Conference. Over 200 people across Canada logged in for the session. The same month she also presented a webinar for the Real Estate Institute of BC on the topic of planning and the tools that real estate professionals might need to be aware of.

Engineering:

The new Engineering Development and Asset Management Technologist has joined the team. Interviews for the replacement of the Engineering Clerk have begun with the hope of finding a replacement in late December.

In November, work continued on the Thetis Cove Pump Station Upgrade project as shown in the pictures below:

The stacked block retaining wall has been finished and the concrete base pads for the new emergency generator and new control kiosk have been poured and plumbed with the required ducts.

Several drainage projects have also been completed throughout the municipality:

Holiday decorating has begun with crews busy installing banners, lights, and hanging baskets:

In November, mobile GIS was used to complete sidewalk inspections for the Town. An application was created to log the locations and details of flaws in the sidewalk into the GIS database. This information will make the data easier to access, visualize, and use for a variety of purposes. Each flaw in the sidewalk is logged with a picture that is linked to the location in the database, which can be easily viewed in the portal map. The sidewalk inspection data can also be viewed from the Sidewalk Inspection Viewer on the homepage of the GIS Portal.

The Parks Department completed the north side of the Portage Park bottom staircase. As well, split rail fencing has been installed to finish the entrance to the platform, irrigation has been reinstalled and landscaping has been done. More small landscaping changes will occur over the winter months.

The Helmcken Centennial Park zip line structure has been repaired and is back in operation. The extended time for the repair was tied to the manufacturer's requirement that a certified installer perform the repair work to maintain the warranty. With such a busy year for playground suppliers/installers, it was very difficult to get a certified installer on site to do the repair.

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated December 3, 2020, 2020 from the Chief Administrative Officer titled “CAO Update” be received for information.

SUBMITTED BY: K. Anema, Chief Administrative Officer