HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Minutes - 2004-04-19 SAPRIL 19, 2004
SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES
CITY OF KITCHENER
A special meeting of City Council was held at 12:10 p.m. this date, Chaired by Mayor C. Zehr and
with all members present.
Notice of this special meeting had been previously given to all members of Council by the City Clerk
pursuant to Chapter 25 (Council Procedure) of the Municipal Code.
R. Browning, Interim Chief Administrative Officer, advised that this strategic planning session is part
of the series of meetings that have been held over the past two years to develop and report on the
'Shared Agenda - Strategic Initiatives'.
C. Ladd, General Manager of Strategic Services, led the session explaining that the objective of this
meeting is to develop the Shared Agenda for 2004-2006. Ms. Ladd reviewed the Corporate Plan and
Vision and provided an outline of the governance model developed as part of the Corporate Plan.
She then reviewed the initiatives under the Shared Agenda of 2002 - 2003, noting those that have
been completed, the ones that are still ongoing and those yet to be started.
Councillor M. Galloway raised a concern with respect to the Downtown Strategic Plan advising that
when first initiated a General Manager was assigned solely to lead the project but this is no longer the
case and suggested this should have further discussion. Mayor C. Zehr questioned the 'report card'
initiative whereby Council will receive annual and quarterly reports on the strategic initiatives and
suggested that further discussion should take place with respect to formalizing the quarterly reporting
procedure.
Ms. Ladd then reviewed those strategic initiatives that would be carried over from the 2002 - 2003
Shared Agenda, as follows:
· Customer service strategy (Service First);
· Centre Block;
· Downtown priorities;
· Central neighbourhoods;
· Activity based costing;
· Environmental strategic plan;
· Industrial plan
· adding the quarterly reporting initiative.
A general discussion between Council and members of staff in attendance took place resulting in the
following issues being brought forward to be added to the Shared Agenda:
· Growth management with respect to new housing areas and in particular, on-street parking, road
width and aligning the City's by-laws with planning initiatives;
· Urban forests and pond maintenance plans;
· The City's Environmental Strategic Plan in context with the Kyoto Protocol;
· Stronger relationship with the Region of Waterloo with respect to traffic issues;
· Traffic calming;
· Student housing and lodging houses in the Downtown area;
· Subdivision development in context with quality of life issues such as recreation and increased
parkland;
· School sites not being developed in new subdivisions resulting in the loss of parkland;
· Community trails;
· Closed school sites;
· The City's influence on affordable housing;
· Growth management with respect to accessibility issues, focus on arts as a growth catalyst in the
Downtown and investigating ways to draw people to the Downtown area;
· Legal and Security Services Strategic Plans;
· Business licensing under the new Municipal Act;
· Project management - develop a workable process to assist in managing budgets;
· Street lighting in context of safety and environmental issues;
· Shared services with other municipalities and the Region;
· Improved relationship with the Region defining the respective responsibilities;
· Community cleanliness;
· Leisure Facility Master Plan;
· Formal process for quarterly reports on the Shared Agenda;
APRIL 19, 2004
SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES
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CITY OF KITCHENER
· Infrastructure capital projects;
· City and Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro - possible shared services;
· Safety issues throughout the community;
· Investigate the possibility of a shared agenda with the Region.
C. Ladd then led the discussion on combining the initiatives under several main headings and
prioritizing the initiatives based on general timelines. Ms. Ladd advised that the initiatives as
discussed and prioritized will be compiled into a chart and provided to Council. Mayor Zehr advised
that the next special Council meeting to deal with the Shared Agenda and strategic planning process
will be held on June 14, 2004.
On motion, the meeting adjourned at 2:54 p.m.
MAYOR CLERK