A report from the Chief Administrative Officer providing highlights on administrative activities, finance, and development services.
TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REPORT
TO: Committee of the Whole DATE: June 7, 2018 FROM: Kim Anema, CAO MEETING DATE: June 12, 2018
CAO UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report dated June 7, 2018 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:
Work continues on the municipal elections front. With the voting scheduled almost one month earlier than in previous elections due to changes in the Provincial legislation, nomination package preparation, website content development, advertisement drafting, and planning for training sessions are underway. Staff recently visited two other local municipalities to learn more about the nuances of mail ballot voting to ensure successful implementation of this initiative in View Royal.
In mid-May the Director of Corporate Administration participated in the Local Government Management Association’s Administrative Professionals Workshop panel on “What to Expect During an Election” and more specifically concerning Council orientation.
There are two upcoming community events that Administration staff, along with volunteers, some Council members, and the Parks Supervisor, are gearing up for. The first is the co-hosted (with Highland Games Society) Canada Day celebration at Craigflower Manor and the second is Art Fest set for Sunday, September 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Eagle Creek Village.
Archives digitization continues and a sample of photos in the collection have been uploaded onto the Town’s website, providing a taste of what is to come. These can be accessed through both the Town’s online “Photo Gallery” and through the Archives-specific page on the Town’s website. The first screenshot below shows the uploaded sample collection in the Photo Gallery while the second screenshot below is an example of an individual photo in the Gallery.
Finance:
The busy tax collection season started in May with 4,077 tax notices issued. Most property owners received their tax notice before the end of the month. The tax notice package included an updated informational insert to help property owners understand where their tax money goes and how to claim their home owners grant, as well highlighting the tax due date of July 3, 2018. Other key performance indicators are as follows:
| Key Performance Indicator | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2017 Jan-May | 2018 Jan-May |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax notices issued | 3,781 | 3,842 | 3,939 | 3,939 | 4,077 |
| Home owner grants processed | 2,736 | 2,839 | 2,930 | 646 | 619 |
| Manually | 1,824 | 1,814 | 1,878 | 258 | 284 |
| Electronically | 912 | 1,025 | 1,052 | 388 | 335 |
| Tax deferment applications processed | 124 | 129 | 171 | 51 | 39 |
| Tax collections (as a percentage of total levied) | 99% | 99% | 99% | 10% | 11% |
| Business licences issued | 313 | 358 | 406 | 379 | 333 |
| Dog licences issued | 326 | 355 | 359 | 142 | 118 |
| Transaction count (from financial system) | 17,597 | 16,237 | 16,702 | 4,334 | 4,603 |
We are getting closer to our target of 80% of all payments made through electronic funds transfers (EFTs) versus cheques, with a total of 68% EFTs for the first five months of 2018, compared to 34% for the same period in 2017.
Information Technology projects are underway, with a request for proposal (RFP) currently posted for offsite backups/disaster recovery services and another RFP in development for Office 365 implementation services. Given that privacy impact and internal policy concerns around cloud computing depend in part on implementation and configuration choices, these initiatives will run parallel to the Office 365 implementation process.
Development Services:
The Development Services Department is continuing to field a number of enquires with respect to future development applications. We are looking forward to wrapping up a number of applications before August (94 Talcott and 1708 Island Highway for example). We will turn our attention to policy work, process improvements and data analysis as time permits.
The Capital Regional District provided customized census data to the Town this week and staff will begin the task of analysis in the coming months. We are looking for trends and detailed information about who our residents are (from a statistical perspective) and how View Royal is changing from a demographic perspective. This information will be used to support future policy work, economic development and the development of a community profile. Census data is an enormously powerful tool to identify trends and we look forward to sharing our analysis.
The Chilco Trails build project will begin on June 11th. On June 4th notices were mailed to all residents in the neighbourhood about the development of Zones 3 and 4. An additional notice about Zone 5 will be mailed shortly. Staff are working closely with the trail building company and will provide a progress update in next month’s CAO report. We anticipate being able to have a grand opening trail walk from the top to the bottom of Thetis Vale in late August or early September.
Engineering:
After a short delay in awarding the contract to Hoel Engineering Ltd., that firm will begin mobilization to the Hallowell Road site in June, with an estimated completion date in fall 2018. The majority of work will be between 7am and 5pm, Monday to Friday with occasional Saturday work. A Notice of Construction from Hoel Engineering will be distributed to residents, as well as posted on the Town’s website and distributed through the Engineering Department’s email contact list.
On September 14, 2017 the general contractor doing the upgrade of the Price Bay Road pumping station gave notice of default. We now have a revised contract with a replacement contractor supplied by the performance bonding company for completion of the works. The work at this pumping station is now authorized to resume.
2018 Calls for Service Summary
| As of May 31 | Public Enquiries | Tree Permits |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 333 | 48 |
| 2017 | 369 | 41 |
| 2016 | 380 | 52 |
| 2015 | 282 | 49 |
| 2014 | 230 | 33 |
Parks:
The playground equipment project at View Royal Park is now fully opened though fencing will remain in place through June to protect grass seed.
View Royal Bike Skills Park options were recently presented to the Parks, Recreation and Environment Advisory Committee. Staff will now take into consideration their comments and develop concepts to present to the neighbours as well as send to the schools and publish on the Town’s website.
The View Royal Park Community Garden Society has expanded the garden by five plots and added irrigation to the pollinator beds. The pollinator beds have been planted as illustrated below. The VR Garden Society is the caretaker for these plots and asked their community gardeners for assistance in maintaining plots for about one year to ensure that they thrive.
Ground preparation has begun at Centennial Park for the playground equipment project with turf stripping and the removal of the old wooden structure. The old equipment will remain in place for as long as possible.
With respect to the Invasives Removal Program C. Junck has completed thirteen events in Portage Park, Knockan Hill Park, Eagle Creek Park, Mellor Park, View Royal Park, View Royal Park and Edwards Park; including collaborative events with Greater Victoria Green Team, View Royal Elementary and Friends of Knockan Hill. Upcoming events include a Canada Day display at the Craigflower Manor, community work parties, Shoreline and View Royal Elementary Schools collaborations with Green Team, as well as signage development for the demonstration garden in Portage Park, in collaboration with the Esquimalt Nation and Shoreline Middle School.
Protective Services:
The transition from District of Saanich Dispatch to City of Surrey Dispatch is going well from the operational perspective. A Fire Dispatch Services contract form has been agreed upon with collaboration of our partners in the RFP process. The Fire Chief has had several meetings with representatives from the City of Surrey and supplied extensive information about fire operations in View Royal. The pace of the transition is proceeding reasonably and we expect to complete in the early summer.
The Bylaw Enforcement Officer has been very busy this past month with new and ongoing files including the recent inhabitation of Portage Inlet by a dock/boat that relocated from the City of Victoria. Enforcement efforts include collaboration with the District of Saanich, Department of National Defence, Provincial agencies and others.
On May 24, 2018 View Royal Fire marked its 70th anniversary as a fire department. The Department is hosting their annual community open house on June 8, 2018, and as usual, anticipates a significant turnout of residents and visitors.
With wildfire season already in full swing, the Fire Chief expects another request from the Province to deploy firefighters and equipment into British Columbia’s Interior this summer. The Department has registered staff and apparatus, consistent with last year’s deployment, with the Office of the Fire Commissioner. Although the hope is for a quiet fire season, the Department will be available if needed to assist.
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report dated June 7, 2018 from the Chief Administrative Officer titled “CAO Update” be received for information.
SUBMITTED BY: K. Anema, Chief Administrative Officer
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