HomeMy WebLinkAboutCompass Kitchener - 04-05-2017COMPASS KITCHENER MINUTES
compass kltchener
!D/% April 5, 2017 — 4:00-6:00
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Schmalz Room, KITCHENER CITY HALL
Present: John Schitka Roberto Villamar Amber Sare Leyton Collins
Jeff Brown Lori Trumper
Staff: Laurie Majcher Jenn Grein Josh Joseph
Regrets: Tangul Bilgehan Lynn Gazzola Adam Hammoud Judy Stephens -Wells
Birgit Heilig
The meeting began at 4:05 p.m. with John Schitka in chair.
1. Review of March Agenda
On motion by Roberto Villamar, it was resolved:
"That the agenda for April 5, 2017 be accepted."
Carried Unanimously
John acknowledged the passing of Mark Paul, the Vice Chair and four year veteran with Compass Kitchener Advisory
Committee. Information on the service is available in the link provided; donations were collected by Laurie for flowers,
donations to local charities are still being accepted via the link.
Vice Chair position will be further considered at the May meeting.
2. Review of February minutes
On motion by Leyton Collins, it was resolved:
"That the minutes from March 1, 2017 be approved."
Carried Unanimously
3. Follow up to Minutes
■ Nothing at this time
4. Community Engagement
■ The committee discussed the effectiveness of the pre -meeting survey relating to the topic of discussion as we move
through the planning stages for community engagement. Josh provided a brief demo of EngageKitchener for
members that did not participate.
■ He provided a high level review of the feedback received in the pre -meeting survey from Compass Kitchener
members. The committee separated into two smaller groups to brainstorm ideas on how to best engage
stakeholders and aim to breakdown potential barriers, providing a brief summary of findings when complete.
Strategic Action Plan
■ Laurie reminded the group that this item will be a year long exercise with updates provided at each meeting to keep
members updated on various items within the Strategic Action Plan. She encouraged members to take notes or
consider information however they see fit so that after the year of updates is complete and the Report Card process
is underway, they will have information available for consideration in development of grades.
■ Further, she showed Compass Kitchener where to find the 2017 Business Plan and Business Plan Status Updates
on the city's website. She reviewed how to read the information provided.
■ She reviewed the highlights from January to April 2017 in each of the 5 focus areas:
Open Government
■ The 16 recommendations of the Corporate -wide Community Engagement Review were approved by Council on
January 9th. Actions include: the development of a special outreach strategy to broaden engagement among people
that do not typically engage with the city; annual reporting to citizens on community engagement activity; a
Community Engagement Policy; staff training and, a citizen's guide to community engagement.
■ On February 27th, Council discussed options for implementing a pilot participatory budgeting program that could
be started as early as this summer. Council provided input to the following aspects of the program: most important
outcomes, targeted population segments, number of pilots, expected timelines for delivery.
Strong & Resilient Economy
■ A working committee, including staff from the city of Kitchener, is being led by Communitech to review the feasibility
of establishing and supporting a manufacturing and hardware cluster, which would include the establishment of an
Advanced Manufacturing Incubator. Deloitte has been engaged to research and prepare a presentation for
April 5, 2017 2 CITY OF KITCHENER
senior levels of the Provincial and Federal Governments to determine if funding is available to support a
man ufacturin,tg/hardware cluster and incubator.
■ On January 9 h, Council approved the Digital Kitchener Strategy as the guiding document for technology
development within the city. Actions that will begin implementation in 2017 include: the development of a minimum
standard for access to free public internet; development of a narrowband smart city IT network; and establishing
the Civic Innovation Lab at the Communitech Hub.
Safe & Thriving Neighbourhoods
■ Kitchener's Neighbourhood Strategy and implementation plan was approved by Council on February 13th, with
18 action items that will be implemented over the next 3 years to support great places, strengthen connections
between people and support cooperation. You can expect to see progress on in 2017 include: an increase in grants
for neighbourhood initiatives, a placemaking guide for citizens, resident -led city -supported neighbourhood action
plans.
■ On March 20th Council approved the recommendations of the Residential Intensification in established
Neighbourhoods study. As a result, changes will be made to the zoning by-law to require specific aspects of new
development to reflect the character of the existing neighbourhood, the introduction of site plan approval as a pilot
in select neighbourhoods, updated design guidelines, and the creation of a citizen's guide to intensification.
Sustainable Environment & Infrastructure
■ On February 27th, Council approved an 8% corporate GHG reduction target for 2026 as phase 1 of the Corporate
Climate Action Plan and made a commitment to climate adaptation planning. The final recommendations will be
presented to Council in the spring of 2018.
■ Council was provided with an update on the implementation status of the Cycling Master Plan on April 3�d
Between 2015-2016, new investments in cycling infrastructure were implemented on 22 roads in Kitchener,
including 10 k of cycling lanes, 3.7 k of sharrows and signage. Bikecheck was implemented at 10 different events in
Kitchener in 2016, creating a safe and secure place to store a bike, helmets, backpacks, etc., with the intention of
making cycling a more viable transportation choice for more people.
Effective & Efficient City Services
■ On March 6th, Council was presented with the Kitchener Fire Department Master Plan, including 35 strategic and
operational action items dealing with public fire safety education, fire safety standards, enforcement and emergency
response, efficient and effective operations, staff development and strengthening partnerships. Council discussion
has been deferred to May 1 St
■ On January 23rd, Council approved the 2017 Budget which resulted in a property tax rate increase of
1.73%.Property tax rates in Kitchener are lower than tax rates in Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, London and
Hamilton. The approved water rate increase was 7.4%, Sanitary sewer rate increase of 9.8%, and a stormwater
rate increase of 9.2%. The total annual cost increase for the average household is estimated to be $111.
■ Laurie reviewed the projects expected to be completed in 2017, and the committee discussed some of the items
that may be of interest in relation to report card reporting. Further, she encouraged members to visit various areas
on the city website where additional information can be located.
■ Laurie shared how to get into past committee and council agenda's, minutes and video logs of the council. The
committee discussed their personal experience of the city's website, information, engagement with various projects
and engagement at council.
6. Working Group Update
■ John encouraged working groups to begin meeting if necessary, and to pay attention to timelines.
■ The Advisory Committee Collaboration working group met to discuss scheduling an event for the chairs and vice
chairs in June. They would like to provide an opportunity for committee chairs to share a little about their committee
focus and priorities for 2017-18. The meeting would also be an opportunity to share about the strategic plan and
how the work of committees fits within the organization. Update with firm details will come forth in May.
7. Other Business
■ Volunteer Appreciation event is coming up on May 12th at the Apollo theatre — be sure to RSVP for this exciting
event.
■ CK work plan went to council as planned on March 13th and was official approved.
8. Meeting evaluation
■ Nothing at this time.
9. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 6:04 p.m.
Next Meeting: May 3, 2017
Location: Schmalz Room