TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION REPORT - CAO UPDATE

CAO UPDATE

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated September 12, 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:

Election preparations were underway over the past couple months. Work included nomination package compilation and election ads (joint - with other area municipalities - and individual).

The Town’s fall/winter newsletter will be out in the mail to residents during the third week of September. This is a few weeks earlier this year to provide information regarding the upcoming Local Government Election.

On August 9, an agreement that saw the Capital Regional District acquire four parcels of land totaling 9.8 hectares adjacent to Mill Hill Regional Park from the Town for $927,500 closed. The sale ensures continued public ownership of open space and the long-term management and maintenance by an organization that is well-equipped to take on the responsibility.

During the summer, staff sought Advisory Committee feedback on potential meeting format options. Input provided will inform a report for consideration by elected officials later this fall, setting the stage for meetings after January 1, 2023.

Based on discussions over the past year and internal training, the staff report template will change to better provide comprehensive yet succinct information to Council and the Committee of the Whole. Changes include provision of an “Executive Summary”, reduced comment area by Directors and removal of the repeated recommendation.

Further to Council’s interest in having a professionally painted mural on the trestle on Helmcken Road by View Royal Elementary School, staff reached out to and then met with representatives from the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF) to seek permission for the installation which was subsequently granted. Staff have contacted a contractor that works in public art initiatives to lead the project. Based on her advice, the recommendation is to undertake the installation in the spring/summer of 2023 when more artists will be available and there is consistent warm/dry weather. It is also key that at that time, school would not be in session resulting in less congestion on the roads typically.

Administration staff are coordinating staffing competitions to hire a new Director of Development Services and Engineering Technologist – Development and Public Work to fill position vacancies.

The summer months have been quiet for Archives with volunteers being busy with summer activities. The “Commodities & Conveniences – Half a Century in View Royal 1900-1950” exhibit in the lobby has been on display through Spring and Summer. The Archives Access to Memory website now has over 500 photos uploaded and ready for viewing.

On the records front, fire-proof cabinets arrived in July and the permanent storage room downstairs is undergoing a records review. Vital records are being moved into insulated and locked units. Confidential records are being placed in a large locked cabinet and other permanent records are being placed in boxes on the metal shelving.

Finance:

At 10:00 am on the last Monday in September, the municipal collector must conduct an annual tax sale by offering for sale by public auction each parcel of real property on which taxes are delinquent. Throughout July and August staff worked to contact delinquent property owners and were successful in collecting all delinquent taxes. Thus, there will be no tax sale in 2022 in the Town of View Royal.

Staff undertook the process of analyzing water consumption data provided by the Capital Regional District (CRD) and recommended to Council sewer rates which will sufficiently cover the costs of operating both View Royal’s and CRD’s sanitary system in 2022. It is expected that sewer utility invoices will be mailed mid-October.

Cybersecurity has evolved to become a greater focus for local governments. A significant number of account compromises are a result of weak passwords and using the same password on other accounts, such that a username and password is no longer sufficient protection method. Two-factor authentication uses other methods of authentication in addition to the username and password to provide a second layer of account protection. Finance staff leveraged grant funding to lead an initiative incorporating Two-factor authentication to users of the Town of View Royal Microsoft 365 applications, including email. Training is ongoing and expected completion is October 2022. Staff will set up Mayor and Council accounts with multi-factor authentication concurrent with the deployment of new Surface Pro devices in October.

Development Services:

Our participation in the CleanBC Better Home and Home Renovation Rebate Program (top up for heat pump conversations for residential heating) has been extended to March 31, 2023 or until such time as funds are depleted. As of June 30, 2022, $7,200 remains of the originally allocated $10,000.

Excavations permits are being prepared for the 234-unit Aspire multifamily development at the Burnside Road West / Helmcken intersection and the Royalle mixed use development at the Helmcken Road / Island Highway intersection. Work at both site are expected to commence in a few weeks.

The Capital Regional District has been awarded a UBCM Community Emergency Preparedness Fund grant to the develop an Extreme Heat Vulnerability Mapping Dashboard to provide a highly localized picture of vulnerability to heat in the capital region. Staff will be supporting the project by providing local expertise for the collection of local data and indicators to develop a heat vulnerability mapping index to better understand the locations of both populations and buildings that should be prioritized when planning to address future extreme heat events. This data will then be used to develop an interactive extreme heat vulnerability map, which can be built into a regional hazards dashboard to support education and planning efforts.

Engineering:

The CRD’s invasive species working group (CRISP) extended their kudos to the Town on the 2016 Parrot Feather removal project within the Stoneridge Wetlands. Parrot Feather can be extremely difficult to remove from sites and staff are eager to share details on our success with other municipalities.

The Resident Tree Planting Program has been implemented. Interested residents may apply to the Town to request trees for planting within their private property.

Hiring for a new Development / Public Works Technologist is in progress.

Council Chambers renovation is largely complete. There are some additional items that will be installed during the election break in October, including: new audio and speaker system to replace the existing legacy equipment, new chairs and name plates, and additional cabinet space for storage.

The Town of View Royal will be commencing pavement restoration work along Island Highway fronting Shoreline Middle School. Work is expected to commence this September and will take approximately 2-3 days. Traffic management and changing message boards will be installed ahead of time to warn road users of the upcoming works.

The Town of View Royal’s garbage and organics collection program is continuing to experience service disruptions as a result of staff onboarding and equipment issues at Waste Management – the Contractor responsible for collection on the Town’s behalf. Although Waste Management has demonstrated their commitment to resolving these issues, some collection delays may continue. In the meantime, Waste Management has deployed more trucks to cover their route and are committed to immediately catching up on collection in the event of future misses.

2401 Burnside Road HandyDART site – Frontage improvements along Burnside Road and Watkiss Way are underway. The Watkiss Way sidewalk is now open and paving of the widened Burnside Road is scheduled this week. Traffic control staff have been apprised of the need to be extra vigilant during the first few weeks of back to school.

Replacement of the twenty year old View Royal Park swing set took place at the beginning of August. The new swings have been a hit with the playground users.

Following the success of the first portable toilet enclosure installed at View Royal Park, two additional enclosures have been constructed at Centennial Park and Portage Park. The enclosures are complete and now await toilets to be installed this fall.

Protective Services:

In May, the Town and Fire Department celebrated the raising of a totem pole at the Public Safety Building. Signifying protection, community and friendship, the pole carved by Tom LaFortune stands proudly in the front of the building. A great community turnout witnessed the unveiling.

Unfortunately, View Royal has not been immune to the opioid crisis gripping the Province. The Fire Department responds near weekly to overdoses and deaths associated with drug poisonings in the Town.

Emergency calls and general calls for service have increased over the past six months where the department is seeing historical highs in its response numbers. The volunteer compliment remains stable; however, challenges persist in securing community members to volunteer. The Fire Chief, in conjunction with Westshore Fire Chiefs are working through a program which will realize the sharing of volunteers between stations as well as actively recruiting qualified applicants from Greater Victoria to ensure adequate staffing on night shifts.

The Town has been awarded a $30,000 UBCM Community Emergency Preparedness Fund grant toward consultant work to provide an extreme heat risk assessment including heat mapping and risk reduction strategies that will assist with emergency planning. This will complement and build on the regional Extreme Heat Vulnerability Mapping Dashboard that the CRD will be developing.

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated September 12, 2022 from the Chief Administrative Officer titled “CAO Update” be received for information.

SUBMITTED BY:

K. Anema, Chief Administrative Officer