Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil - 2011-10-24 SSPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES OCTOBER 24, 2011 CITY OF KITCHENER A special meeting of City Council was held at 2:05 p.m. this date, chaired by Mayor C. Zehr with all members present except Councillors J. Gazzola and B. Ioannidis. Notice of this meeting had been previously given to all members of Council by the City Clerk pursuant to Chapter 25 (Council Procedure) of the Municipal Code. Council was directed to the materials circulated with the September 19, 2011 special Council meeting agenda, listing all Corporate projects and divisional priorities linked to the City’s Strategic Plan, as well as a definition sheet regarding the applied review / ranking and a matrix of project prioritizations developed from the ranked projects / priorities. Ms. S. Adams, Director of Strategic Planning and Innovation, advised that at the September 19th meeting, Council was introduced to the 2012-2015 Departmental Business Plans and members were invited to submit comments. Ms. Adams stated that the purpose of this meeting is to review those plans to ensure that the priority projects for the next four years have been captured. Members then put forward the following comments / suggestions for each of the draft business plans: Chief Administrator’s Office A request was made that alternate opportunities be examined to purchasing advertising space in newspapers. Ms. C. Ladd, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), advised that as part of the proposed 2% budget reduction, staff will be bringing forward an issue paper pertaining to this matter. She added this will include whether to continue with publishing Your Kitchener and the opportunities for advertising in other local newspapers. Regarding the Customer Service Strategy, it was requested that an update be provided on Phase 1, prior to the roll out of Phase 2 in early 2012. It was put forward that staff should continue to provide Council Orientation sessions, focusing on the work being undertaken by specific Divisions. It was noted that it would be beneficial for some of those sessions to occur prior to Council’s 2012 Budget deliberations. Ms. Ladd suggested that members identify the areas of interest for the Orientation sessions. A proposal came forward that a 360º review of the Office of the Mayor and Council be undertaken to help ensure that appropriate service levels are being provided. It was suggested that the Strategic Planning and Innovation Division should oversee the implementation of all master plans and provide updates to Council every six months as to the status of their implementation. Ms. Ladd advised that the item titled “Planning for Executive Dashboard Reporting”, found on page 12 of 16, is intended to provide a snapshot as to the progress on any master plan. She added that staff intend to move forward with the “Dashboard” as soon as possible, noting this could be either through purchasing a new system specifically dedicated to this kind of reporting; or, possibly modifying one of the City’s current systems. A request was made to have the priority level increased for the Customer Relations Management Software, as noted on page 13 of 16. Mayor C. Zehr indicated that the Region of Waterloo is currently examining the Open Data Concept to enable access to raw data to help Councillors respond to information requests put forward by constituents. Ms. Ladd added that the Executive Dashboard and Customer Relations Management Software are some of the tools that are being examined in 2012 to assist Councillors. She suggested that it might be helpful for a discussion to be held with Council to identify the kind of information that they would like to receive. Staff were requested to circulate copies of the new Economic Development Strategy, as referenced on Page 7 of 16, well in advance of the November 7, 2011 Planning & Strategic Initiatives Committee meeting. It was proposed that there may be merit in expanding the Downtown Land Disposition Strategy, as found on page 13 of 16, to identify several potential future uses of non-downtown parcels of land owned by the City. Questions were raised regarding the last bullet point under Economic Development on page 10 of 16, which states “….new retailer’s downtown”. Ms. Ladd agreed to report back with information to clarify that item, as well as the Downtown Visitation Program found on page 13 of 16. SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES OCTOBER 24, 2011 - 268-CITY OF KITCHENER It was suggested that the voter turnout initiative should be included as an item under the Strategic Planning and Innovation Division, and Ms. Adams agreed to bring back in 2012, information on voter participation. Community Services Department Concerns were raised regarding the difficulty in determining a priority for the implementation of the various strategies listed in the business plan, when no details are given as to what will be undertaken in a given year. Mr. J. Willmer, Deputy CAO - Community Services Department, agreed to provide information as to the implementation components of the various strategies by the November 14, 2011 Council meeting. It was suggested that a priority be added to the Community Programs and Services Division for 2012 to review the Williamsburg Community Centre pilot project, as a means of determining the long-term future of the Community Centre. Questions were raised as to why the proposed Rental Licensing By-law was not included as a priority for the By-law Enforcement Division. Mr. S. Turner, Director of By-law Enforcement, advised that it was not listed as staff anticipate presenting a report on that matter at the November 28, 2011 Finance and Corporate Services Committee meeting. Regarding the implementation of the CLASS program registration software at the City’s community centres, as noted on page 14 of 22, Ms. K. Woodcock, Manager of Departmental Planning, advised that the four current pilot projects have yet to be completed. She noted that staff anticipates bringing forward a report on this matter as part of Council’s 2013 budget deliberations. Further questions were raised as to the status of providing wireless internet access at community centres. Mr. D. Murray, Manager of Client Services, advised that staff intend to present an issue paper on that matter for consideration during Council’s 2012 budget deliberations. Questions were raised as to the components of the Events Strategic Plan implementation, as noted on page 14 of 22, and whether the Plan is a City-wide strategy, or if it is intended to center on the Downtown. It was suggested that this item could be considered for one of Council’s ongoing Orientation Sessions, and it was requested that Council be circulated copies of all of the various strategic plans. Ms. Adams indicated that given their size, electronic versions of all strategic plans would be posted to a consolidated folder, which Council could access through one of the shared drives. Finance & Corporate Services Department Questions were raised regarding the implementation the Council Chamber upgrades and Ms. C. Fletcher, Director of Facilities Management, advised that it is anticipated that the upgrades would be phased in over 2012, with the majority of work taking place over the summer months. She noted that timing is dependent upon the availability of the room and staff from the Office of the City Clerk are determining the appropriate times when the Chamber can be closed. It was requested that information be provided describing what the upgrades entail, and Council could give feedback to ensure that what is being proposed will effectively address their needs. Regarding the review of opportunities for public engagement related to the budget, as noted on page 14 of 22, Ms. Ladd confirmed that staff are examining the potential for a participatory public budgeting committee. She noted that the timing of a participatory budget process report is tentative, given the recent staff turnover in the Finance and Corporate Services Department. Ms. Ladd agreed to provide additional information as to the details of the PeopleSoft Absence Management module, as noted on page 15 of 22. Infrastructure Services Department Ms. P. Houston Deputy CAO – Infrastructure Services Department, agreed to provide additional information as to the proposed rollout of the Cycling Master Plan, as referenced on page 18 of 25. Questions were raised as to why the implementation of the standards provided for by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) were not listed as a priority under the Facilities SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES OCTOBER 24, 2011 - 269-CITY OF KITCHENER Management Division. Ms. Fletcher advised that this is a Corporate priority that was being headed by the Community Services Department. She indicated that smaller facility improvements have been undertaken, through the $1.5M stimulus funding the City received for those kinds of upgrades. She noted that staff anticipates bringing forward the proposals for the larger facility upgrades once the Built Environmental Standards of the AODA have been finalized by the Province. Ms. Ladd advised that the business plans as proposed can be undertaken within the existing budget and staffing levels and using the direction provided by Council to staff in the 2012 Budget Call. Ms. Adams noted that a final version of the plans will be presented in January 2012, which will contain budget and resource information. She commented that the timing is meant to correspond with Council’s 2012 Budget deliberations, as the business plans help to support the budget by identifying Council’s priorities. Councillor B. Vrbanovic suggested that the business plans could be approved in principle subject to Council’s 2012 Budget deliberations, as a means of providing preliminary confirmation to staff of the identified priorities. Moved by Councillor B. Vrbanovic Seconded by Councillor K. Galloway “That the draft Departmental Business Plans be approved, in principle, subject to Council’s 2012 Budget deliberations.” Carried. Moved by Councillor K. Galloway Seconded by Councillor P. Singh “That an in-camera meeting of City Council be held this date to consider a land acquisition / disposition matter.” Carried. On motion the meeting adjourned at 4:32 p.m. MAYOR CLERK