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| The gang is back in the House, though this time with glass dividers! Prince Rupert City Council members returned to City Hall on Monday with new COVID health measures in place |
Prince Rupert City Council was a place with some clear divisions on Monday evening!
No the six council members and Mayor Lee Brain are all for the most part still on the same page with the process of municipal governance, they just conduct that business now with clear glass dividers providing for a COVID barrier of sorts, the city's new measure to provide for COVID safety while returning to the public eye.
Only Councillor Blair Mirau remained a participant by phone on Monday, as the Council members addressed the forty seven minutes of work on the evening.
Among the themes from the Agenda that were discussed included an award of the summer paving contract to a Kitimat firm, that following some significant discussion and difference of opinions on Council's goals and realties when it comes to buying local.
Council also put residents on the clock when it comes to making note of any opposition to two loans for infrastructure, with Council choosing to use the Alternative Approval Process once again to seek consent for the loans for the Woodworth Dam and the Land fill site expansion.
A preview of the Annual Report, announcement of the use of a consultant on the city's Official Community plan and relay of information towards the path forward for community engagement and a review of the April Financial Variance Report also made for part of the night.
Councillors also moved forward with their plan to write the Province to seek out the placement of a full time Conservation Officer in the community, with a number of Council members making their views on the current situation known.
Some background on the work of Council on the evening and the various Regular Agenda elements for the June 8th Council session can be explored here.
Council members also hosted their eighth Closed Council session of the year prior to Monday's Regular session, that 5 PM meeting closed the doors to the public for two elements of the Community Charter that are listed here.
Further information from our overview and placement in the video archive can be found below, with the permanent record of the minutes added as they are posted to the city website.
In attendance Monday, June 8, 2020
Mayor Lee Brain -- Present
Councillor Nick Adey -- Present
Councillor Barry Cunningham -- Present
Councillor Blair Mirau -- (by phone)
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven -- Present
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa -- Present
Video Archive for Monday, June 8, 2020
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Regular Council Session
(0:00 -- 1:00) Regular City Council Session for Monday, June 8, 2020 -- Mayor Brain called the Regular Council Session to order, with Council adopting the agenda and past minutes of previous minutes.
( 1:00 -- 15:30 ) -- Report from Director of Operations related to the 2020 Capital Paving Program contract award -- Director of Operations Richard Pucci, outlined the background to the staff recommendation to award the paving contract for 2020 to C and C Road Maintenance of Kitimat.
Mr. Pucci provided the details to the Request for Proposals that was issued with the Kitimat bit coming in at a savings of 25%, compared to that from Prince Rupert based Adventure Paving, which led staff towards their recommendation.
Much of the conversation revolved around the past suggestions by Council members that the City should support local business, though most agreed on the night with the view of the Director of Operations that the 25 percent savings was something that they could not ignore.
Councillor Niesh led off the discussion, noting that it would be nice to support a local business, but that much like it was two years ago, the best value for the job was from the out of town bid.
Councillor Adey did note that money invested in the community would stay in the community, but did observe that the cost savings were significant and needed to be taken seriously.
Councillor Cunningham was one member that held firm to the desire to remain local, he raised a number of questions related to the work to be done and elements related to the company itself. Mr. Cunningham also observed as to how all of the employees of the Prince Rupert firm are from the area, while that would not be the case with the out of town firm.
He also noted that bringing in a large volume of out of town workers, did tend to run counter to the city's previous desires to limit access to the city at the start of the pandemic situation in March and April.
As for the paving project, the work has no set timetable yet, but the Kitimat firm has advised that they would be working long into the day to try to get the work done in as short a period of time.
The Mayor inquired about the status of the 200,000 dollars that would be saved and if it could be directed towards other paving requirements.
Councillor Mirau also inquired about any potential expansion of the paving program, with the City's CFO Corinne Bomben noting that the money could be allocated towards patching and other paving requirements that may come along through the year as necessary.
Councillor Randhawa sought confirmation on warranty work if required.
Councillor Mirau also noted that Council may wish to review its desire towards local purchasing and how in the future the City may wish to explore a Social procurement program to reap as many benefits for the community as possible.
Councillor Cunningham followed that up with a suggestion that Council bring the major local contractors together with the city to a meeting about procurement to explore where the City may wish to go with them in the future.
When it came to the vote, the majority of Council approved the contract award, with Councillors Cunningham and Adey casting dissenting votes on the award.
( 15:30 -- 16:30 ) -- Report from Chief Financial Officer on the April 2020 Financial Variance Report -- Chief Financial Officer Corinne Bomben, outlined some of the impact of COVID on the city's financials, with some of the fallout coming through the month of April.
She noted that the Airport Ferry revenue is down, Transit fees had been waived for two months and the Recreation Centre has seen a reduction in fees owing to its closure by provincial health order.
She also observed how there had been reductions to overtime or casual wage requirements at the Recreation Centre and the Airport and in the case of the Recreation Centre much of the last two months have beed put towards maintenance which should see a reduced period of down time when the facilities reopen.
Ms. Bomben also made note of the arrival of two significant streams of funding for the City, one through funds from the Northern Capital and Planning grant and the other funds towards the planned water treatment plant, with both streams of revenues forwarded to their associated capital reserve funds.
She noted that Capital projects are underway for 2020 and costs will be rolling in as the construction season progresses.
Council members had no questions for the CFO.
( 16:30 -- 26:00 ) -- Report from Chief Financial Officer on the Alternate Approval Process for Loan Authorizations -- Ms. Bomben outlined for Council that the recommended path towards seeking Authorization for Loans for both the Woodworth Dam project and the expansion of the Landfill Site should be conducted by the Alternative Approval Process.
With the two projects having had the required 3 readings from Council and approval from the Inspector of Municipalities , the next step is to seek elector assent through the Alternative Approval Process.
The CFO provided a short overview of the two projects and the way that the authorization process works, noting that the deadline for such approval would be July 24th at 4:30 PM. She directed the public to the City Financials section of the City website for further background on the projects and the process of approval.
If electors disagree with the borrowing of the funds they would be required to make that opposition known to the city by way of the forms provided for the AAP process.
She observed that neither of the project is anticipated to result in an increase to the water or solid waste fees that the city charges.
Councillor Niesh led off the discussion, speaking in favour of the adoption of the AAP form of approval, observing how the two big loans will not affect taxpayers and will be coming from money earned through Watson Island. He also made mention as to how the City's work towards development of Watson Island has proven fruitful for the city.
Councillor Mirau echoed many of the comments from Mr. Niesh, noting how it was the work of staff on Watson Island that has provided the opportunity to take on that level of debt, compared to 5 or 7 years ago.
Councillor Mirau also enquired about whether the province has adjusted any of the provisions for engagement on such issues as the AAP or the Official Community plan, he was advised by the Chief Financial Officer that at this point there has been no guidance from the province.
Ms. Bomben also outlined the range of options available to the public to participate in the AAP engagement if they wished to express their opposition to the city taking out the loans.
Councillor Cunningham offered his full support towards the two loan initiatives and observed how it will serve to resolve some of the city's issues related to water supply, he also noted how the need for an expansion at the land fill site is required and how both loans will be a win-win for the city.
Councillor Adey noted that the City doesn't really have a choice as both elements are required, he took the approach that what was up for discussion was how the city would get the assent of the public.
Towards the feedback required he noted that with the current circumstances there are people who have had difficulties in accessing the city for various purposes and stressed that he would not want this process to be one that was viewed as difficult and one that is easy to become engaged in, something he stated he was sure that city staff were putting some energy towards making it glitch free for the public.
Councillor Mirau noted that both investments are once in a generation types of investments and that the onus on Council to make sure that these projects are long lasting ones.
As for the vote on the AAP process, Council voted to adopt it, leaving it to the public to declare any opposition to the loans by July 24th.
( 26:00 -- 29:00 ) -- Report from City Manager on the path forward for the City's Official Community Plan Review -- Corporate Administrator Rosa Miller, read out the elements from the City Manager's Report, which noted that consultants from iPlan Planning and Development Services had been contracted towards the work, with lead consultant Rob Buchan having already been in Prince Rupert for the unveiling of the 2030 Vision plan in December.
Ms. Miller also noted that there had been a survey engagement earlier this year, but with the onset of COVID the community engagement process has been impacted, with the move now towards an on line and socially distant approach.
That engagement will take place by way of the Engage Rupert platform, there will also be a need for further engagement with local and regional stakeholders on the Official Community Plan update.
Councillor Mirau sought out clarification on some of the elements that iPlan would be using towards the Official Community Plan, such as past land use surveys and other projects that the city has taken on in recent years.
With no other questions from the Council membership, they then voted to carry the motion.
( 29:00 -- 31:00 ) -- Report from City Manager on the upcoming 2019 Annual Report -- Chief Financial Officer Corinne Bomben provided the talking points for the preview of the Annual Report, highlighting some of the features that will be provided for the public to review.
The Report will be presented to Council at the next Public Session of June 22nd.
Councillor Adey inquired as to whether city staff was exploring ways to allow for public participation on the 22nd, the Corporate Administrator noted that they were looking at capacity limits and other measures to keep the public safe.
Mayor Brain then praised the work put into this years report.
Correspondence for Action
( 31:00 -- 31:30 ) -- Council reviewed a request for a letter of support from the Economic Development Office towards the Small Town Liaison program hosted by Northern Development Initiative Trust -- Council members reviewed a request from the city's economic development officer and approved the letter of support.
( 31:30 -- 37:00 ) -- Council reviewed Councillor Niesh's call for a letter to have a Conservation Office based in Prince Rupert -- Councillor Niesh spoke to recent events in the city and Port Edward and how it shows the need for an officer to be based here during portions of the year.
Councillor Adey observed as to the impact of the development on Kaien Island and how its squeezing the habitat of the wolves, he also made note of bears and how with no Conservation Officer based here the call falls to the RCMP.
He also highlighted that with an officer based in Prince Rupert there could also be education and mitigation programs that could be put in place in the community.
Councillor Niesh picked up on Councillor Adey's themes on the RCMP and noted how these incidents are taking away from the regular duties of the local detachment and how chasing down wolves is not their job and not an efficient use of taxpayers money.
Councillor Cunningham agreed with Councillor Niesh and noted that it was not an RCMP matter, reinforcing some of the dangers to the community and observing how it is an issue which the city has had much frustration in getting the attention of the province towards.
Councillor Randhawa echoed many of the same themes, suggesting that the City also request that the CO officers maintain their presence in the community until an answer to the letter is required.
Councillor Skelton-Morven also offered up many of the same themes heard previous.
Council then voted to forward the letter to the Province requesting the officer to be based in the city
Reports from Council
( 28:00 -- 38:00 ) Councillor Adey led off the discussion by noting that the Home Owners Grant deadline is approaching and wanted to ensure that the public won't find the process of applying for the grant and delivering it to the city isn't daunting.
The City's CFO provided some details on the range of options available to the public to apply for the grant and to pay their taxes this year. She noted that residents can call City Hall and they will be provided with assistance.
Councillor Adey did make note of a problem he had with the electronic version that is offered and wondered if anyone else had contacted the city with similar concerns.
Councillor Cuningham followed up by noting that some Seniors don't have computers, or iPhones and such and prefer to pay in person, he added that he wants the city to be Open to how their receive taxes to ensure that residents don't lose out on the opportunities that are available to them.
He suggested more communication with the public and more public engagement to explain how the process works and what residents can do to access services.
Ms. Bomben also outlined that with this years Tax notices a separate correspondence did outline some of those options and stressed the information that the public needs to know about deadlines and how residents can pay their bills.
Noting of the impact of COVID on public engagement with the City, she advised the public to call City Hall if they have any questions and that city staff are looking to be accommodating to the public at this time.
Councillor Cunningham recounted a correspondence he has received from a new resident about the state of disrepair that is found across the community and asked that the City take action on the issue.
The councillor followed up the letter with another call for action form Council towards the options that they have discussed in the past, noting that there are a number of properties that need attention and how its the city's responsibility to put those owners on notice that if they don't do it, the city will take care of it and hire a contractor to do it.
Councillor Randhawa provided a short note of tribute to the graduating class of 2020, noting that this week will provide for a different approach towards the graduation program and wished all grads and families the best.
With no other concerns of note on other topics, the Mayor brought the evening to a close.
You can access the City Council Session Archive here, where a number of items regarding the council session, including links to local media coverage, can also be found.
As always, our Council Timeline is only a reflection of our observations from the Council session of the night. Be sure to consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to their website for further review.
Official Minutes of the Regular Council Session from June 8, 2020 (not available yet)
In addition to the city's official minutes, the City's Video archive provides a helpful record of the events from each public council session.
Council members next meet on June 22nd, making for the last of the Twice a month council sessions until the fall.
That June 22nd meeting will also make for a Committee of the Whole Session, to this point there is no indication from City Council as to whether the public will be allowed to participate in person, or if they will continue on with the submitted quesitons to the Corporate Administrator process introduced last month.
To return to the most recent blog posting of the day, click here.
Correction: Please note the segment on the Paving contract has been corrected to note that Councillor Adey had voted against the contract award, that dissenting vote was not apparent during the course of the meeting as there was no verbal vote, rather a show of hands, which is not something visible to residents viewing at home, that owing to the presentation of the Council session on the live stream.
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