Monday, January 25, 2016

Council to receive Terms of References for Committees planned for 2016

Those that love to review the internal workings of committees and explore wide ranging policy initiatives, are going to find the final moments of tonight's Council session right up their alley.

As the final moments of this evening's Prince Rupert City Council session tick down, we will see the terms of reference for a number of committees proposed by Mayor Brain and Councillor Mirau outlined for members of Council.

The local politicians will be adding to the varying levels of discussion found from last year,  with some new Council initiatives for 2016 that will explore such concepts as Sustainable planning, Major Projects Planning and areas of interest for Small Business in the community.

The Mayor has ambitious plans for his 2030 Sustainable City Committee, which will seemingly build on the recent Placemaking conference in the city and explore a range of issues related to the Mayor's recent thoughts on the need for a 2030 Sustainable City plan.

The committee will be tasked to review three general areas:

Jobs and Economy: developing, diversifying and creating green jobs through innovative finance and ownership models, appropriate policy development, promoting energy efficiency, and promoting energy production.

Greener Communities: support green transportation, waste recycling, access to nature, green building retrofits, local food initiatives and edible landscaping.

Social Well Being: support volunteer organizations, enhance access to recreation and interaction with the environment, and develop a culture of placemaking. 

Making up the committee will be a combination of local experts and outside advisors where gaps exist in the local community. In addition to select City Staff to ensure proper integration of policy into other areas of work the City is moving forward on.

More on the 2030 Sustainable City Committee can be found from the Agenda package for tonight's Council session starting at Page 62

The Mayor also is set to introduce the Committee for Planning for Major Projects tonight, which will see City Planner Zeno Krekic taking helm of the Committee, which will be tasked to establish policies in four areas of concern:

Managing applications for amendments

Scheduling Planning for Major tasks to completion

Coordinating incorporation of immediate component (such as affordable Housing Policy, Secondary Suite Policy, Planning for Major Projects Land Use Plan, among others)

Schedule updates to the Official Community Plan, Zoning Bylaws and BPAs

That committee is expected to last in duration from eight to ten weeks, with plans to disband it four weeks after it has delivered its findings to City Council.

The full overview of that Committee can be found from pages 64 to 65 of the Agenda Package.

Councillor Mirau will review the terms of Reference for the Community Service/Small Business Committee.

That Committee is tasked to provide recommendations  on policies that integrate housing  development, contractor service and economic development that balances social, environmental and business elements, as well as to promote sustainability and smart growth.

The Committee that will report to the Mayor and Council will focus on the following items:

Develop and Recommend policies to Council and respond to Council requests for advice and information

Review and provide feedback on small business development planning within the community

Provide a community perspective on small business economic development while encouraging an aesthetic and safe urban landscape

Foster Public awareness, recognition and support for optimizing the use of the urban land base according to sustainability principles, while recognizing the urban containment boundary role in preserving Prince Rupert's character

Review and comment to the City  Manager of local and regional land use and small business economic development plans, initiatives, and studies, major bylaw reviews, development permit guidelines, engineering road standards, long-range road system and traffic planning, area wide traffic calming projects and parks master planning.

The full overview of hat Committee can be found on page 66 of the Agenda Package

The three initiatives will be introduced towards the end of tonight's Council session, worth watching will be if any of the Council members offer up any questions or comments on the proposed Committee concepts.

Or if by that point of the night, late into the session, Council members just accept the plans as delivered, without any discussion on the themes, or guidance provided for the Committee proponents.

For more items related to tonight's Council session see our Preview item here.

Further background on City Council discussions can be found on our Council Discussion archive page.

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