GENERAL COMMITTEE
March 18, 2013
Meeting No. 7
Finance & Administrative Issues Community Services Issues
Chair: Mayor
Frank Scarpitti Chair: Councillor Alex Chiu
Vice Chair: Councillor Carolina Moretti Vice
Chair: Councillor Howard Shore
Environment
& Sustainability Issues Building,
Parks, & Construction Issues
Chair: Councillor
Valerie Burke Chair: Councillor Logan Kanapathi
Vice Chair: Regional Councillor Joe Li Vice
Chair: Councillor Colin Campbell
Alternate formats are available
upon request.
Attendance
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Andy
Taylor, Chief Administrative Officer
Catherine
Conrad, City Solicitor
Jim
Baird, Commissioner of Development Services
Brenda
Librecz, Commissioner of Community & Fire Services
Trinela
Cane, Commissioner of Corporate Services
Gary Adamkowski, Director, Asset Management
Paul Ingham, Director, Operations
Peter Loukes, Director, Environmental Services
Joel Lustig,
Treasurer
Andrea
Tang, Manager of Financial Planning
Jeff
McMann, Supervisory Parks Operations
Paul Wealleans,
Director, Revenues
Graham Seaman, Senior
Manager, Sustainability Office
Katie Burns,
Sustainability Coordinator
Stephen
Huycke, Acting Deputy Clerk
Alida
Tari, Council/Committee Coordinator
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The General Committee convened at the hour of 9:04 a.m. with Councillor
Carolina Moretti in the Chair. Mayor
Frank Scarpitti assumed the Chair at 9:09 a.m.
Councillor Alex Chiu Chaired Community Services related items and
Sustainability and Councillor Colin Campbell Chaired Building, Parks and
Construction related items.
The General Committee recessed at 12:18 p.m. and reconvened at 1:05 p.m.
DISCLOSURE OF
INTEREST
None disclosed.
1. MINUTES OF THE MARCH 4, 2013
GENERAL COMMITTEE (16.0)
Minutes
Moved by Councillor
Alex Chiu
Seconded by Deputy
Mayor Jack Heath
1) That the
Minutes of the March 4, 2013 General Committee be confirmed.
CARRIED
2. MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 20, 2013
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES COMMITTEE
WASTE DIVERSION SUB-COMMITTEE (16.0)
Minutes
Moved by Councillor
Alex Chiu
Seconded by Deputy
Mayor Jack Heath
1) That the Minutes of the February 20,
2013 Environmental Issues Committee, Waste Diversion Sub-Committee be received
for information purposes.
CARRIED
3. MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 7, 2013
LED STREET LIGHTING TASK FORCE (16.0)
Minutes
Moved by Councillor
Alex Chiu
Seconded by Deputy Mayor
Jack Heath
1) That the
Minutes of the February 7, 2013 LED Street Lighting Taskforce be confirmed.
CARRIED
4. MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 11, 2013
MARKHAM SPORTS, ENTERTAINMENT
AND CULTURAL CENTRE SUB-COMMITTEE (16.0)
Minutes
Moved by Councillor
Alex Chiu
Seconded by Deputy
Mayor Jack Heath
1) That the Minutes of the February 11,
2013 Markham Sports, Entertainment and Cultural Centre Sub-Committee be
received for information purposes.
CARRIED
5. MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 30, 2013
PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE (16.0)
Minutes
Moved by Councillor
Alex Chiu
Seconded by Deputy
Mayor Jack Heath
1) That the Minutes of the January 30,
2013 Public Art Advisory Committee be received for information purposes.
CARRIED
6. MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 4, 2013
RACE RELATIONS COMMITTEE (16.0)
Minutes
Moved by Councillor
Alex Chiu
Seconded by Deputy
Mayor Jack Heath
1) That the Minutes of the
February 4, 2013 Race Relations Committee be received for information purposes.
CARRIED
7. MINUTES
OF THE FEBRUARY 13, 2013
SENIORS HALL OF FAME AWARDS
COMMITTEE (16.0)
Minutes
Moved by Councillor
Alex Chiu
Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath
1) That the Minutes of the February 13,
2013 Seniors Hall of Fame Awards Committee be received for information
purposes.
CARRIED
8. INFORMATION REPORT- UPDATE
ON
THE FEDERAL ELECTORAL DISTRICTS
PROPOSAL FO THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO (9.0)
Report Attachment
A-K
The Committee stated their disappointment
with the outcome of the proposed federal ridings.
The Committee suggested that the Federal
Boundary Commission should consider re-naming the riding of
"Markham-Stouffville" to include the name Rouge Valley. The Committee also suggested that the
"Vaughan-Thornhill-Markham" riding should be re-named to Thornhill.
1) That the report entitled “Information Report
– Update on the Federal Electoral Districts Proposal for the Province of
Ontario” be received; and,
2) That the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the
Province of Ontario be requested to re-name the riding of
"Markham-Stouffville" to "Markham-Stouffville-Rouge Valley; and,
3) That the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the
Province of Ontario be requested to re-name the riding of
"Vaughan-Thornhill-Markham" to "Thornhill"; and further,
4) That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things
necessary to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
9. PROPERTY TAX WRITE-OFFS IN
ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 354
OF THE MUNICIPAL ACT, 2001 (7.3)
Report
Moved
by Councillor Alex Chiu
Seconded
by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath
That
the following recommendation be deferred:
1) That property
taxes totalling $326,502 (excluding penalty and interest) as set out in this
report be written off pursuant to the provision of Section 354 of the Municipal
Act, 2001, of which the City’s
portion is estimated at $80,612; and,
2) That
applicable penalty/interest charges (estimated at $300,000) be written-off
accordingly; and,
3) That the
Treasurer be directed to remove the property taxes from the Collector’s Roll
based on the date of write-off; and,
4) That
the Markham portion of taxes be charged to Tax Write-off Account 850 850 7051;
5) That the Treasurer be authorized to
write-off taxes levied annually for
properties 1 to 6 on Appendix A every year in a tax write-off report; and
further,
6) That staff be authorized to and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
10. PROPERTY
TAX RATIOS (7.3)
Presentation Report
Paul Wealleans,
Director, Revenues delivered a PowerPoint presentation regarding Property Tax
Ratios.
There was considerable
discussion relative to revenue neutrality and the importance of achieving
Regional support for this.
The Committee requested
that staff provide the base value used to calculate the average tax impact of
shifts in Markham for commercial and industrial class.
Moved by Councillor
Colin Campbell
Seconded by Deputy
Mayor Jack Heath
1) That
the presentation by Mr. Paul Wealleans, Director, Taxation entitled “Property
Tax Ratios,” be received; and,
2) That the report entitled “Property Tax Ratios” be received; and,
3) That Council support setting tax ratios in 2013
to achieve Region-wide “revenue neutrality” such that the relative tax burden
of each property class is the same after the reassessment as it was before the
reassessment; and,
4) That this resolution be forwarded to
the Region of York; and further,
5) That staff be authorized to
and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
11. 2012 YEAR END REVIEW OF
OPERATIONS (7.0)
Presentation Report Appendices
1-12
Andrea Tang, Manager,
Financial Planning delivered a PowerPoint presentation regarding the City of
Markham 2012 Year End Review of Operations.
There was discussion
regarding the year end accounting adjustments.
The Committee inquired
whether the winter maintenance budget can have a separate surplus account. Staff advised that the City has a Corporate
Rate Stabilization account where surplus money is placed into this account and
used for various unforeseen circumstances.
It was suggested that the winter maintenance be reviewed in more detail
during the budget process for 2014.
Moved by Councillor
Alex Chiu
Seconded by Councillor
Carolina Moretti
1) That
the presentation by Ms. Andrea Tang, Manager, Financial Planning, entitled
“City of Markham 2012 Year End Review of Operations,” be received; and,
2) That the report dated March 18, 2013 entitled “2012 Year End Review of Operations” be received.
CARRIED
12. CITYWIDE MULTI-PHASE SANITARY
SYSTEM DOWNSPOUT DISCONNECTION
PROGRAM – FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PLAN (5.3)
Report Attachment
A Attachment
B Attachment
C
Peter Loukes, Director, Environmental Services
addressed the Committee and summarized the details outlined in the report.
Gord Walter, Sherwood Amber Glen Ratepayer Association
addressed the Committee regarding the Citywide Multi-phase Sanitary System
Downspout disconnection program and spoke in support. He requested some clarification regarding the
location involved for the Sherwood area.
The Committee discussed the following:
·
Ensure that the entire City is covered
·
Provide annual updates to Committee
·
Importance of educating the residents
·
The need for an intricate communication plan
The Committee requested that staff prepare a memo
relative to ensuring that all of Markham is covered and confirming the Milliken
area.
Moved by Councillor Valerie Burke
Seconded by Mayor Frank Scarpitti
1) That the report
entitled “Citywide Multi-phase Sanitary System Downspout Disconnection Program
– Financial Assistance Plan” be received; and,
2) That Council,
acknowledge the commencement of the Citywide Multi-phase Sanitary
System Downspout
Disconnection Program, which is an extension of the Pilot Sanitary System
Downspout Disconnection Program completed in 2010; and,
3) That Council,
approve the financial assistance plan for the Citywide Multi-phases Sanitary
System Downspout Disconnection Program; and,
4) That the cost for
Phase 1 of the Program totaling $518,510 of which $251,931 be funded in 2013
from capital project #11382 Downspout Disconnection Program and the remaining
amount of $266,579 be requested as part of the 2014 capital budget process; and
further,
5) That Staff be
authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this
resolution.
CARRIED
13. PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIONVILLE MILLIKEN
SOCCER ASSOCIATION – MILLIKEN MILLS
SOCCER DOME, ROOM EXPANSION (6.4)
Report
Moved by Mayor Frank
Scarpitti
Seconded by Deputy
Mayor Jack Heath
1) That the report “Partnership with Unionville Milliken Soccer
Association -Milliken Mills Soccer Dome, Room Expansion” be received; and,
2) That Council approves the partnership with
the Unionville Milliken Soccer Association, for
the room expansion at Milliken Mills Soccer Dome; and,
3) That the cost for the expansion in the amount of $30,000 be funded
50% from the Unionville Soccer Club and 50% from the City; and,
4) That the City’s portion in the amount of $15,000 be funded from the
Recreation Facilities Development Charge Reserve in amount of $13,500 (90%) and
Life Cycle Replacement and Capital Reserve Fund in the amount of $1,500 (10%);
and further,
5) That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to
give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
14. LED STREETLIGHTING- STATUS UPDATE (5.19)
Presentation Report
Mr. Bill Smelser,
President and CEO, Laurilliam Lighting Technologies Inc. delivered a PowerPoint
presentation providing a status update regarding LED Streetlighting.
The Committee discussed
the following:
·
The
importance of cutting down light pollution
·
Solar
versus LED
·
Money and
energy saved by the City
·
Light
dimming - ensure it does not comprise pedestrian safety
·
Implementation
program
·
Potential
to only partially dim lighting on an entire street
·
Importance
to continuously monitor
·
Provide
update reports to Committee regarding the program
The Committee
suggested using this program to bring awareness back to Markham's Greenprint
Sustainability Plan.
Moved by Regional
Councillor Gord Landon
Seconded by Mayor
Frank Scarpitti
1) That
the presentation by Mr. Bill Smelser, President and CEO, Laurilliam Lighting
Technologies Inc. entitled “LED Streetlighting – Status Update,” be received;
and,
2) That the report
entitled “LED Streetlighting - Status Update” be received; and,
3) That the Council endorse the use of light
emitting diode (LED) technology as an alternate to high
pressure sodium (HPS) for all City
streetlights; and,
4) That the staff be authorized to proceed with the procurement tender
for the supply and installation of LED luminaires to convert the existing HPS
cobra-head style luminaires; and,
5) That the staff be authorized to include provisional items in the
procurement tender for part-time and constant light output dimming (CLO) and
monitoring options; and,
6) That the Chief Administration Officer be authorized to award the
supply and installation contract(s), if the contract(s) are within budget; and,
7) That the selected LED luminaires, LED performance
standards and specifications be adopted as City Standards; and,
8) That the City apply for the grant for the LED
retrofit project from the SaveOnEnergy program administered by the Ontario
Power Authority (OPA); and,
9) That the Commissioner of Community & Fire Services
or her designate be delegated authority, to complete and sign the OPA's
SaveOnEnergy application form and, if approved, such agreements and other
instruments and documents necessary or advisable to obtain the grant; and
further,
10) That staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to
give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
15. EMERALD ASH BORER MANAGEMENT
PLAN UPDATE (5.0)
Report Attachment
A Attachment
B
Attachment
C Attachment
D Attachment
E
Paul Ingham, Director, Operations summarized the
details outlined in the report.
The Committee briefly discussed the importance of
engaging with neighbouring municipalities.
There was discussion regarding the disposal program.
The Committee suggested that staff investigate the
potential to facilitate ways that can aid areas that have extensive infestation
on private properties.
Moved by Mayor Frank Scarpitti
Seconded by Councillor Howard Shore
1) That the staff
report entitled ‘Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan Update’ be received, and;
2) That Operations
staff implement an Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan that aligns with the
recommendations outlined in the draft ‘City of Markham Emerald Ash Borer
Management Strategy’, prepared by the Davey Resource Group, included in
Attachment ‘B’ of report, and;
3) That Operations
staff continue to engage the services of Davey Resource Group to provide their
expertise in the development of the City’s tree species selection and wood lot
data collection initiatives, and;
4) That the Operations Department
continue to celebrate and promote tree planting
initiatives such as; National Tree Day, National Forest Week, Trees for
Tomorrow, Trees for Life, Urban Tree Canopy Coalition, etc., and;
5) That the
Operations Department report back to Council on an annual basis to provide
updates on the Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan, including annual budget
considerations, and further,
6) That Staff be
authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this
resolution.
CARRIED
16. EARTH HOUR AND EARTH DAY
(5.7)
Report
Staff provided a brief verbal update regarding the
promotions and activities underway by the City of Markham for Earth Hour and
Earth Day.
The Committee suggested that staff forward their
poster advertising these activities to all Members of Council.
The Committee suggested that staff e-mail Members of
Council the energy saving results for City facilities.
Moved by Councillor Alex Chiu
Seconded by Councillor Valerie Burke
1) That the report titled Earth Hour and Earth Day 2013 be received;
and,
2) That the
Sustainability Office continue to work with staff, advisory committees, and
community partners to promote events that advance the Greenprint: Markham’s
Community Sustainability Plan; and further,
3) That Staff be
authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this
resolution.
CARRIED
NEW
BUSINESS
17. TREE DAMAGE ON PRIVATE
PROPERTY (5.0)
Councillor Alex Chiu inquired whether the
municipality can assist residents who ended up with trees damaged on their
private property as a result of the last snow fall. Staff advised that they cannot assist with
tree damage on private properties, but will continue to monitor if there are
any damaged trees on the municipal boulevards.
18. IN-CAMERA MATTERS (16.0,
16.0, 7.3 & 7.12)
Moved by Regional
Councillor Gord Landon
Seconded by Deputy
Mayor Jack Heath
That, in accordance
with Section 239 (2) of the Municipal
Act, General Committee resolve into an in-camera session to discuss the
following confidential matters (1:34 p.m.):
1) General Committee In-Camera Minutes
- March 4, 2013
[Section 239 (2)
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f)]
2) Markham Sports,
Entertainment and Cultural Centre Sub-Committee In-Camera Minutes
-February 11, 2013
[Section 239 (2)
(a) (f)]
3) A proposed or pending acquisition or
disposition of land by the municipality or local board.
[Section
239 (2) (c)]
4) Labour relations or employees
negotiations.
[Section
239 (2) (d)]
5) A proposed or pending
acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board.
[Section 239 (2) (c)]
CARRIED
Moved by Councillor Don Hamilton
Seconded by Councillor Valerie Burke
That the General Committee rise from the in-camera session (2:45
p.m.)
CARRIED
ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Councillor Alex Chiu
Seconded by Councillor Don
Hamilton
That the General Committee meeting adjourn at 2:46 p.m.
CARRIED