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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-05-04 SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 4, 2017 CITY OF KITCHENER The Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:05 p.m. Present: Chair – S. Bongelli Councillor S. Marsh and Ms. T. Smith, Ms. E. Clarke, Ms. A. Venner, Ms. J. Metzger and Messrs. B. Page, G. Albert, D. Witmer and W. Rahimi. Staff: M. Hildebrand, Director, Community Programs and Services D. Keelan, Manager of Aquatics & Volunteer Services D. Kropf, Neighbourhood Development Office Associate R. Hagey, Director of Financial Planning D. Ritz, Supervisor, Design and Development L. Korabo, Committee Administrator 1.NEIGHBOURHOOD MATCHING GRANT Mr. D. Kropf attended to provide information on the Neighbourhood Matching Grant (NMG) which is directly connected with the newly approved Neighbourhood Strategy. He advised the NMG, which has been in existence for several years and is jointly funded by the City of Kitchener and the United Way of K-W & Area, has tripled in size and now offers a total of $60,000. in funding with grants ranging from $500. to $15,000. per project. Grant monies may be requested by a group of residents or a community group or organization to: renew public or green spaces through the addition of new amenities or the upgrading of current ones; foster neighbourhood pride; build stronger relationships between neighbours; improve quality of life for local residents; and, improve the safety, accessibility or mobility of an area. The Committee was shown examples of how funds have already been utilized throughout the community. Mr. M. Hildebrand noted as the fund is a ‘matching’ fund, applicants must have funds and/or offer services or supplies in lieu as part of their application process. He noted the NMG is a one-time grant and is not meant to be annual funding for ongoing projects or events. In closing, Mr. Kropf requested the Committee’s assistance in sharing information regarding the availability of the NMG with various networks and circulated grant brochures for distribution by Committee members. A question was raised whether or not successful grant projects were shared on the City’s website. Mr. Hildebrand advised staff is currently considering placing examples of past projects on the website and indicated he would share the Committee’s suggestion with the appropriate staff. 2.PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING – PILOT PROJECT Mr. S. Bongelli advised a request has been received from Financial Planning staff to present information regarding an opportunity to use an engagement method called ‘Participatory Budgeting’ (PB) to shape the redesign of two parks in Kitchener. Mr. R. Hagey was in attendance to obtain input from the Committee on the PB pilot project as it directly relates to the Committee’s Terms of Reference, specifically to provide advice on the development and/or strengthening of municipal policies, programs and services. Mr. Hagey provided an overview of the PB process, highlighting the difference between traditional public consultation methods and the benefits of using PB (e.g. increasing public engagement and its’ effectiveness; improving accountability and trust; identifying issues and voting on how to spend funds to find solutions; and, promoting cooperation and social justice). He noted PB was identified by City Council as a priority in the current Business Plan and, as staff has no direct expertise with PB, is a joint project with experienced staff at the University of Waterloo. The pilot proposes to engage citizens around the re-design of two neighbourhood parks, being: Sandhills Park and Elmsdale Park. Mr. Hagey commented these two locations are different in that one is located Downtown, and the other in the suburbs and because of this, results of citizen engagement could be vastly different. As both parks are already identified for reconstruction in 2018, using them for the pilot project will allow for citizen input into the re- design of each, without adding additional workload for staff. SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 4, 2017 - 10 - CITY OF KITCHENER 2.PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING – PILOT PROJECT (CONT’D) Mr. Hagey reviewed the steps followed in a traditional park consultation, then provided the steps to be taken as part of the PB consultation. He noted staff will still be involved in the early stages to vet the park-improvement ideas generated by the neighbourhood for reasonability and feasibility. Once vetted, the ideas will be presented back to the residents for voting with the elements receiving the highest number of votes being incorporated into the park design. In closing, Mr. Hagey opened the floor for questions and input from the Committee and requested the Committee’s endorsement for the Participatory Budgeting Pilot Project for Sandhills and Elmsdale Parks. In response to a question around the use of the PB process for parks, Mr. D. Ritz commented that parks are considered a community asset and one that residents generally feel strongly about. He advised while there has not been a great use of PB in North America to date, staff feel confident it could be used on a larger scale and for a greater variety of issues. Mr. Ritz also commented that, at this point, it is not known if using PB will affect the proposed timing of the reconstruction work for the two parks. He acknowledged that PB provides an additional level of work; however, the information gained from its use could outweigh any negative effects on project timing. Members also posed questions related to the anticipated demographics of participants, percentage of anticipated voting, composition of the working group and timing of outreach and results reporting. On motion by Ms. E. Clarke – it was resolved: “WHEREAS Participatory Budgeting has been identified as a public engagement tool which could improve accountability and trust and increase the level of community engagement; and, WHEREAS Participatory Budgeting directly relates to the Neighbourhood Strategy’s three areas of focus being creating great places, connecting people and working together; and, WHEREAS staff is proposing the use of Participatory Budgeting for two pilot projects in 2017 regarding the re-design of specific neighbourhood parks; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee endorses the use of Participatory Budgeting for the purposes of pilot projects engaging citizens around the park re-designs for Sandhills Park and Elmsdale Park.” The Committee requested a report back on the success of the Participatory Budgeting pilot. 3.LITTLE LIBRARIES Further to the Committee’s April 6, 2017 meeting, wherein additional information regarding previous funding for the Little Libraries program was requested, members were circulated an overview of the approval process followed by City staff when requests for Little Library funding are received, as well as a listing of the locations of all City-funded Little Libraries in Kitchener. In addition, Ms. D. Keelan advised staff do not track libraries located on private property or funded privately; however, did advise a website exists with active links to all locations in both Kitchener and Waterloo (www.llkw.ca). Ms. Keelan commented on the extensive checklist used by staff for each application, including ensuring the applicant is aware of all required next steps. In response to a question from the Committee, Ms. Keelan noted only one known instance of vandalism of a Little Library location. Ms. Keelan requested the Committee’s consideration of approving funds for staff use to process Little Library requests, suggesting an amount of $2,000. would match the funds approved by a previous Committee. SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 4, 2017 - 11 - CITY OF KITCHENER 3.LITTLE LIBRARIES (CONT’D) Ms. T. Smith requested if consideration should be given to approving additional funds which staff could use to expedite other small-sum projects, similar to Little Libraries. Mr. M. Hildebrand advised staff do not generally receive other types of small requests for funds; therefore, he would suggest the monies may be better spent on additional Little Libraries. Mr. Hildebrand suggested staff could report back to the Committee again once the funds have been allotted and provide an update on exact numbers and locations. On motion by Ms. J. Metzger – it was resolved: “That $2,000. from the Safe and Healthy Community Advisory Committee’s 2017 budget be allocated to the Little Library in Parks and Open Spaces Program; and, That any unallocated funds at year end remain available for disbursement until allocated; and further, That staff provide a summary report on the number of approvals and locations of Little Libraries approved with this funding.” 4.WORKPLAN DEVELOPMENT Following up on the Committee member voting for top three priorities to form the 2017-2018 Workplan, Mr. Hildebrand advised the priorities which will be the Committee’s initial focus are: Support for Community Centres - Foster stronger relationships with local schools; Support for Community Centres - Work with staff on CPTED review of community centres; and, Accessibility and Inclusion - Support for the LGBTQ community. Mr. Hildebrand commented that priorities receiving a lesser number of votes will be revisited once work on the top choices has concluded. He advised the next step is to identify specific tasks and timelines for each of the action items, reminding the Committee that timelines can extend over the length of the term and need not be completed by the end of 2017. He provided a worksheet for each identified action and requested members join the sub-group of their choice to begin discussions, noting some actions already have pre-populated tasks which were pulled from previous Committee brainstorming sessions. Sub-groups were further requested to identify a ‘lead member’ as well as required staff support for each task. Regarding the matter of staff support, Mr. Hildebrand commented staff is available to provide support and respond to questions; however, it will be up to Committee members to take the lead on actions and work toward stated goals. The following sub-groups were formed; names in bold were identified as leads: Relationships with school – T. Smith, G. Albert, W. Rahimi; CPTED – B. Page, D. Witmer, S. Bongelli; and, Support for LGBTQ community – E. Clarke, J. Metzger, A. Venner As Mr. Ganem-Mohamed was not in attendance, Mr. Hildebrand stated he would contact him directly regarding his preferred sub-group. Once this has been confirmed, Mr. Hildebrand will email the worksheets to the sub-group leads to allow for meetings and/or discussions on identifying tasks and timelines for workplan actions to be held prior to the next regularly scheduled Committee meeting. A question arose regarding the scheduling of informational presentations at upcoming Committee meetings as part of the identified tasks. Mr. Hildebrand commented that total agenda time per item (including presentation and Committee discussion/input) should be capped at 30 minutes. He further advised he could provide a list of primer questions to sub- group leads, which could assist with identifying appropriate presenters/speakers to be considered. SAFE AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 4, 2017 - 12 - CITY OF KITCHENER 4.WORKPLAN DEVELOPMENT (CONT’D) Sub-group leads were asked to contact both Mr. Hildebrand and Ms. L. Korabo regarding any suggested speakers/presenters for upcoming meetings. If presentations are proposed for the June 1, 2017 Committee meeting, information would need to be provided no later than May 16, 2017. This would allow for consideration at the agenda-setting meeting. Sub-group leads were also advised that, should background information regarding presentations be available, this should be also be provided to staff electronically by the above deadline to allow for circulation with the agenda document. 5. ADJOURNMENT On motion, the meeting adjourned at 5:35 p.m. L. Korabo Committee Administrator