HomeMy WebLinkAboutFCS-16-164 - KW Joint Services Update 2016
REPORT TO: Council
DATE OF MEETING: October 24, 2016
SUBMITTED BY: Dan Chapman, Deputy CAO, Finance & Corporate Services,
519-741-2200 ext. 7347
PREPARED BY: Justin Watkins, Interim Manager, Business Relations and
Solutions Delivery, Information Technology
WARD(S) INVOLVED: N/A
DATE OF REPORT: October 1, 2016
REPORT NO.: FCS-16-164
SUBJECT: Kitchener-Waterloo Joint Services Initiative – 2016 Update
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RECOMMENDATION:
For information
BACKGROUND:
The cities of Kitchener and Waterloo have long partnered to undertake cooperative
initiatives on an ad hoc basis. Pursuit of a more formalized approach to joint initiatives
began in 2004, in recognition of similar dynamics between the two municipalities and
contiguous geography of the urban areas. In 2006, the original program was refreshed
and rebranded as the Kitchener-Waterloo Joint Service Initiatives Committee (JSIC).
Over the last 10 years collaborative work between Kitchener and Waterloo has
continued. Roughly 65 joint initiatives have taken place during this period with many
remaining active, the balance being project specific and since completed. In 2015, staff
from both municipalities renewed efforts to re-establish formal joint initiatives for the
upcoming year, and did so again in 2016.
The JSIC is also supportive of other collaborative opportunities that arise throughout the
year that might not have been formally planned, as long as the project provides mutual
benefit and the efficient use of collective resources.
The purpose of this report and Council presentation is to provide Council and the public
with an update on recent and planned activities.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
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REPORT:
Prior to each JSIC meeting, input is sought from senior management from each
municipality on opportunities for joint service initiatives, many of which are drawn from
the City’s business plan. These initiatives are then scoped out with preliminary activities
over a 12 month period using a common template. The JSIC then selects a short list of
initiatives for the upcoming year based on consensus.
2015-2016 Initiative Highlights
Over the course of 2015-2016 several joint initiatives were undertaken, including the
following:
Forsyth Drive / Aberdeen Road Re-profiling and Reconstruction
Project scope includes the re-profiling of Forsyth Drive (Waterloo) and the
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reconstruction of Aberdeen Road (Kitchener) to correct ongoing drainage
issues. Project work is currently in the design stage with reconstruction planned
for 2017.
Neighbourhood Energy Systems
An application has been made to FCM to conduct cross-Canada research on
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district thermal energy systems. Kitchener and Waterloo, as well as London
and Kingston, have all collaborated with a consultant on this work and are
awaiting notification on the submission.
ACTIVE Network
The cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, and the townships of Wilmot
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and Wellesley, worked collaboratively to negotiate a “group buy” option with
ACTIVE Network for the provision of recreation software and hosted payment
service solutions.
Joint Water & Sanitary Sewer Rate Design Study
Kitchener and Waterloo have worked together on a joint Water & Sanitary
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Sewer Rate Design Study RFP to realize efficiencies and economies of scale
during the data collection and review process. Waterloo’s rate study and
financial plan was approved on April 18, 2016 via IPPW2016-032; Kitchener’s
rate study is ongoing with an update provided on August 29, 2016 via INS-16-
073.
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2016-2017 Joint Service Initiatives
In August, the JSIC held its annual joint services meeting for 2016 and prioritized the
following initiatives for the upcoming year:
Corporate Contact Centre
Potentially expand the City of Kitchener’s Corporate Contact Centre after-hours
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emergency services support to additional City of Waterloo divisions (e.g.
municipal enforcement)
External Grants
Potentially coordinate efforts on external grant opportunities including
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advocating, researching available grants, liaising with divisions regarding
potential projects and writing reports for senior staff and councils. This may
also entail submission of applications and ongoing accountability/reporting
requirements.
Rail Strategy
Coordinate ongoing lobbying efforts in support of two-way all-day GO Train
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service from Toronto to Kitchener, and coordinate comments/feedback on
plans.
Shared By-law Administrative Fines and Adjudication
Investigate a system of administrative penalties under Section 102.1 of the
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Municipal Act to handle parking tickets through shared hearing officers, rather
than using the Provincial Offences Court.
Mental Health Awareness and Training
Similar to the joint accessibility training that was previously developed, create a
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collaborative mental health awareness and training strategy to efficiently utilize
limited resources
Keeping with existing practice, selected initiatives for the ensuing year will be led by
Kitchener or Waterloo, in collaboration with the other municipality.
Opportunities for Broader Collaboration
Recognizing the merits of broader collaboration, the JSIC has evaluated the feasibility
of including other area municipalities where applicable. Given the extensive suite of
initiatives that have already been established between Kitchener and Waterloo,
however, it would be very difficult to retroactively include other partners. Instead, the
JSIC actively considers the participation of area municipalities on a case-by-case basis
as opportunities are identified.
While the work of the JSIC focuses specifically on “local-local” Kitchener-Waterloo
initiatives – that is, initiatives within the sphere of jurisdiction for lower tier municipalities
– there has also been interest in recent years to pursue “local-regional” initiatives that
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overlap lower tier and upper tier jurisdiction. The JSIC has identified that the most
appropriate channel to do so is through collaboration with the area CAO’s, whom
already discuss opportunities for region-wide collaboration as part of their regular
meetings. The following are two examples of such initiatives:
LED Streetlight Conversion Project
A recent example of a local-regional initiative is the upcoming LED streetlight
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conversion project. This is one of the largest region-wide collaborative
projects in recent history and will create economies of scale and project
efficiencies for area municipalities. This project will also facilitate the
implementation of a narrowband network (Kitchener only) that will serve as
the backbone of future IoT/smart infrastructure projects within the city.
Engage Platform (e-participation)
Another example of a local-regional initiative is the shared online engagement
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tool, Engage. This region-wide effort to create common platforms for citizen
feedback has resulted in a common tool being used among the three cities
and the Region under a common banner: engageKitchener,engageWaterloo,
engageCambridge and engageRegionofWaterloo. Through collaboration all
parties were able to realize economies of scale and will be leveraged as part
of the next vendor negotiation when current agreements expire at the end of
2017.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city’s strategic
vision through the delivery of core service.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
None at this time.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM – This report has been posted to the City’s website with the agenda in
advance of the council / committee meeting.
Both Kitchener and Waterloo maintain up-to-date information about current shared
services as well as upcoming joint projects on www.kitchener.ca/jointservices and
www.waterloo.ca/jointservices.
As part of both cities’ communications planning protocol, when a project is of a joint
nature, this fact is clearly reinforced in all external communications to residents, local
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media and stakeholders along with emphasis on the inherent benefits of working
together.
An annual overview on joint service successes and future profiled projects will be
published and posted on the /jointservices.ca section of each city’s website.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY:
Jeff Willmer, CAO
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