CAO UPDATE Finance & Administration Report
A report from the Chief Administrative Officer summarizing significant municipal activities in March 2022, including personnel updates and progress on community projects.
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION REPORT
TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE: April 7, 2022
FROM: Kim Anema, CAO
MEETING DATE: April 12, 2022
CAO UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report dated April 7, 2022 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:
March kicked off with the appointment of the Chief Election and Deputy Chief Election Officers as well as adoption of the Checkout Bag Regulation Bylaw No. 1087.
A Joint Advisory Committee meeting was held on March 22 to welcome new members and provide an orientation on the background and functions of the Advisory Committees. This orientation also served as a refresher to those members who had been reappointed and to other members with continuing terms.
To raise awareness about the Checkout Bag Regulation Bylaw, staff spent time in March developing an information package for pertinent businesses including a detailed “frequently asked questions” document specific to businesses, a poster, till toppers, and a promotional cotton bag to use in a campaign if the business chooses to do so. This Bylaw comes into effect on Earth Day – April 22, 2022. As well, promotional material has been developed for the general public and is available on the Town’s website and social media in the lead up to Earth Day.
Speaking of Earth Day, the Town registered as a “Municipalities Mobilizing” participant in Earth Day.ca for Earth Day 2022. This participation allows the Town to use the Earth Day.ca logo in social media posts and news of the Town’s adoption of the Checkout Bag Regulation Bylaw was relayed to the Earth Day.ca organizers as well.
The Spring/Summer newsletter was finalized and sent to the printers during the last week of March. 5,800 newsletters will be delivered in early April to residents and businesses.
Administration staff have coordinated the successful hiring of a new Building Inspector, Director of Engineering, and Community Planner to fill position vacancies. Competitions to hire annual summer staff (Parks Worker-Students and Engineering Intern) are underway.
Records staff have been providing assistance to the Engineering Department in organizing the Town’s tree permits. An inventory of physical and electronic records is being built to capture historical files created prior to current procedures.
On the Archives front, the Access to Memory online repository is now live and available to view at https://viewroyalarchives.accesstomemory.org/. Access is free and users can browse through images of photographs and documents with such filters as subject, places and descriptions. This is an ongoing project with material being added regularly from the Town’s collections.
Finance:
The Citizen Budget online engagement tool was open March 12 to March 31 in conjunction with the publication of the 2022-2026 Financial Plan. This informal survey provides information about the five-year financial plan and allows people to view the impact of increasing or decreasing various service elements on their property taxes. Results of the feedback from this tool will be reported at the April 12, 2022, Committee of the Whole meeting.
The Financial Plan Insights app was launched at the same time as the Citizen Budget tool and the 2022-2026 Financial Plan document. This app invites interested constituents to explore the projects, funding sources, and operational budgets of the proposed financial plan through an easy to navigate interactive app, with links to detailed project summaries and related information.
Finance staff finalized draft financial statements in advance of the yearly audit scheduled April 11-14. It is anticipated that presentation of the draft financial statements will be to Council May 3.
Development Services:
A subdivision to create one additional detached dwelling lot at 148 Atkins Road has been approved for registration at the Land Title Office. The property was rezoned in 2015 to facilitate this subdivision and at this time two new homes can be built. Approving Officer requirements include a shared driveway to minimize the number of driveways on Atkins Road and the protection of trees on neighbouring lands by not allowing buildings to encroach into the root zones.
As part of the Town’s commitment to climate action, the Town partnered with the CleanBC Better Home and Home Renovation Rebate Program to offer a top up for heat pump conversions for residential heating. The Town’s initial contract was for a six-month period from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 and has now been extended to September 30, 2022. At this time three homeowners have received the grant and top-up.
Work on the Official Community Plan review is moving forward quickly. The review is on schedule to present a draft of the updated OCP at the May Committee of the Whole meeting. The Community Climate Action Strategy is slightly delayed as the Community Development Advisory Committee requested additional time for their review and will hold a special meeting in April for this purpose.
Engineering:
A new Director of Engineering has been hired; the incumbent will enter the role in mid-April. Recruitment is currently underway for three summer student positions, one Engineering Intern and two Parks Workers.
The Town has contracted WATT Consulting Group to prepare an Active Transportation Network Plan. Town infrastructure data has been compiled and sent to WATT Consulting Group for their work on View Royal’s Active Transportation Network Plan.
As well, GIS staff is assisting Development Services with mapping for the upcoming OCP report.
March included initial inspection of all the drain works around proposed traffic circles on Watkiss Way at Erskine Lane and on Six Mile Road at Atkins Rd. CCTV of the drain pipes in these areas will follow in April. Staff are working on a design for storm drainage upgrades on Burnside Road West near Eagle View Elementary School to improve drainage in the area.
As part of their annual boulevard maintenance program, the Town’s contractor is starting up the public irrigation system, fixing broken parts, and replacing batteries. Additional spring boulevard operations have started up in full force.
Engineering staff continue to work with the developer of 9 Erskine Lane towards mitigating the spread of mud and debris on municipal roadways. Offsite servicing plans have not yet been submitted by the developer for this project.
Eagle Creek Park received improvements in March. A decorative concrete bench was installed along the pathway, approximately halfway between the Watkiss Way entrance and the Little Road entrance to the park, creating a nice place to stop for a rest.
The open field on the east side of the Park was improved to allow for easy access for park users as well as Parks staff to perform maintenance tasks such as mowing and general clean ups.
RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the report dated April 7, 2022 from the Chief Administrative Officer titled “CAO Update” be received for information.
SUBMITTED BY: K. Anema, Chief Administrative Officer
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