GENERAL COMMITTEE
September 20, 2010
Meeting
No. 20
Finance & Administrative Issues Community Services Issues
Chair: Regional Councillor J. Virgilio Chair: Councillor
A. Chiu
Environment
& Sustainability Issues Building,
Parks, & Construction Issues
Chair: Councillor
E. Shapero Chair: Councillor C. Moretti
Alternate formats are available
upon request.
Attendance
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J. Livey,
Chief Administrative Officer
C.
Conrad, Town Solicitor
J. Baird,
Commissioner of Development Services
B.
Librecz, Commissioner of Community & Fire Services
A.
Taylor, Commissioner of Corporate Services
R. Hutcheson, Manager of Heritage Planning
S. Huycke, Public Services & Records Coordinator
K.
Kitteringham, Town Clerk
J.
Lustig, Treasurer
A. Moore, Manager of
Purchasing
J. Ryerson, Director
of Culture
G.
Taylor, Senior Manager, Infrastructure and Special Projects
M. Visser, Manager of Strategy, Innovation &
Investments
P. Wealleans,
Director of Taxation
K. Bavington, Council/Committee
Coordinator
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The General Committee convened at the hour of 9:05 a.m. with Regional
Councillor J. Virgilio in the Chair; Councillor A. Chiu Chaired Community
Services related items; and Councillor C. Moretti Chaired Building, Parks and
Construction related items.
DISCLOSURE OF
INTEREST
None
declared.
1. Stiver Mill Restoration
and Re-Use Update (8.7)
Presentation
Elizabeth Plashkes,
representing the Unionville Village Conservancy, and several members of the Conservancy
were in attendance. Ms. Plashkes explained the proposal for restoration and
re-use of Stiver Mill, gave a brief history of the property, and advised that
the community wishes the property to remain in the public realm.
The building had been
in serious decline for many years. In 2008, the Town budgeted $150,000 for
stabilization of the building and sent out an Expression of Interest. A
visioning session had been held with stakeholders and the community in May,
2010, resulting in the concept of “The Stiver Mill Granary and Chocolate
Emporium” which is the subject of today’s presentation. The Town owns the
property; however, partnerships will be sought such as the operators of the Old
Firehall Confectionary, other business owners in the UBIA and Unionville
Villagers Association, and the Ministry of Tourism.
Ms. Plashkes
summarized that this is a great opportunity for restoration of a heritage
landmark, improved streetscape, increased property values, tourism, and walking
links to the Village, promotion for local food, and education. The Conservancy
is looking for support in principle from Council and requested that the Town direct
staff to investigate and report back on the viability of the proposal. The group will
continue to work on building partnerships to finance the restoration and will continue
to consult with the community.
The Committee
expressed appreciation to the groups involved and thanked those in attendance.
Rob and Wendy Kadlovski, owners of the Old Firehall Confectionary, were
recognized for their commitment to the community. The heritage value of the
building was noted, and the concerns of adjacent property owners were
recognized.
With respect to
potential partnerships, suggestions were made to involve Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), Ontario Organic Growers Association,
Ontario Greenbelt Alliance, Metcalfe Foundation, and Artscape. It was also
suggested that this may be an opportunity to establish an Ontario Local Food Terminal
through OMAFRA.
The Committee
indicated support in principle, and requested that a staff review include the governance structure, cost and fundraising
issues, the establishment of internal and external committees, and how to go
forward.
Moved by Councillor C. Moretti
Seconded by Regional
Councillor J. Virgilio
1)
That the
presentation by Ms. Elizabeth Plashkes, Unionville Village Conservancy, entitled
“Stiver Mill Restoration and Re-Use” be received;
2)
And that the presentation be referred to staff
to investigate the concept, in consultation with the Stiver Mill Restoration
Advisory Committee and the Unionville Village Conservancy, and report back to
General Committee;
3)
And that the concerns of the residents,
identified by Doug Worsley, be taken into consideration; and further,
4)
That this recommendation be brought forward at
Council on September 21, 2010.
CARRIED
2. MINUTES OF THE MAY 19, JUNE 16, JULY
21, AND
AUGUST 18, 2010 ANIMAL CARE COMMITTEE MEETING (16.0)
May 2010 Business
Plan June July August
Moved by Regional Councillor G.
Landon
Seconded by Regional Councillor
J. Jones
1)
That the Minutes of the May 19,
June 16, July 21, and August 18, 2010 Animal Care Committee be received for
information purposes.
CARRIED
3. MINUTES OF THE MAY 5, JUNE 2, AND
AUGUST 4, 2010 FRIENDS OF MARKHAM
MUSEUM FOUNDATION BOARD (16.0)
May June August
Moved by Regional Councillor G.
Landon
Seconded by Regional Councillor
J. Jones
1)
That the Minutes of the May 5,
June 2 and August 4, 2010 Friends of Markham Museum Foundation Board be
received for information purposes.
CARRIED
4. 2011
STANDING COMMITTEE/ COUNCIL
MEETING
SCHEDULE (16.0)
Calendar
Moved by Regional Councillor G.
Landon
Seconded by Regional Councillor
J. Jones
1) That the 2011 meeting schedule for Council
and Standing Committees be approved.
CARRIED
5. APPOINTMENTS TO ADVISORY
BOARDS/COMMITTEES (16.24)
Moved by Regional Councillor G.
Landon
Seconded by Regional Councillor
J. Jones
1)
That
Ms. Ernestine Tahedl be appointed to the Building a Creative Markham Advisory
Committee as the Board of the Varley McKay Art Foundation of Markham Representative.
CARRIED
6. Contract
Extension 051-R-07
External
Audit Services (7.0)
Report
The Committee requested the
addition of the company name in Clause 2.
Moved by Regional Councillor G.
Landon
Seconded by Regional Councillor
J. Jones
1)
That the report entitled “Contract Extension
051-R-07 External Audit Services” be received; and,
2)
That the contract for External
Audit Services, RFP 051-R-07 be extended for an additional three year fiscal
period (2010 – 2012) to KPMG LLP in
the annual amount of $87,217.00 and the total award amount of $261,641.00
inclusive of HST; and,
3)
That
the contract for External Audit Services include examination and review of the
records and financial statements for Unionville Business Improvement Area (BIA),
Markham Village BIA, Innovation Synergy Centre in Markham (ISCM), National
Centre for Medical Device Developments (NCMDD), Markham District Energy,
Markham Enterprises Corporation, Varley Art Foundation and Museum Foundation;
and,
4)
That
the tendering process be waived in accordance with Purchasing By-Law 2004-341,
Part II, Section 7 (1) (c) when the extension of an existing contract would
prove more cost-effective or beneficial; and,
5)
That the award for the 2010
audit be funded from the respective 2010 operating budgets and with the 2011 to
2012 operating budgets be adjusted as approved through Council during each
year; and further,
6)
That Staff be authorized and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
7. Cachet Estates Sanitary Sewer System
(5.5)
Report 1
Moved by Regional Councillor G.
Landon
Seconded by Regional Councillor
J. Jones
1)
That the report entitled
“Cachet Estates Sanitary Sewer System” be received; and,
2)
That the Asset Management
Department be authorized to retain a consulting engineer to undertake a
feasibility study and develop servicing concepts (“Feasibility Study”) for the
Cachet Estates Sanitary Sewer System; and,
3)
That the cost of the
Feasibility Study and all related administrative costs, estimated in the amount
of $124,380, be up fronted by the Town from the Waterworks
Stabilization/Capital Reserve Fund and, if the project proceeds, the cost be recovered from the benefiting property
owners in accordance with Section 391 of the Municipal Act; and,
4)
That a capital project be
established for the Feasibility Study and all related administrative costs;
and,
5)
That on completion of the
Feasibility Study, the residents be advised of servicing options and total
project costs, and be requested to provide their decision as to whether to
proceed with the detailed design and construction of the Cachet Estates
Sanitary Sewer System; and,
6)
That the Asset Management
Department staff report back to Council regarding the residents’ decision and
staff recommendation; and,
7)
That if the Cachet Estates
Sanitary Sewer System is to proceed, the total project cost be up fronted by
the Town and recovered by imposing an equal fee against the benefiting property
owners in accordance with Section 391 of the Municipal Act; and further,
8)
That staff be authorized and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
8. Development Charge
Borrowing Policy(7.11)
Report
Mark Visser, Manager of Strategy, Innovation and
Investments gave a brief
explanation of the policy and answered questions from the Committee. Discussions
included internal borrowing, investment policies, rates of return, and recovery
through Development Charges.
Moved by Councillor
J. Webster
Seconded by Regional
Councillor J. Jones
1)
That the report dated September 20, 2010 entitled
“Development Charges Borrowing Policy” be received and adopted by the Town;
and,
2)
That the
statement “The Town may use funds to cover shortfalls in the Town’s Development
Charge Reserves so long as the interest charged to such reserves are at a
competitive interest rate” be added to the Town’s Investment Policy; and
further,
3)
That staff be authorized and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
9. THORNHILL CEMETERY –
TRANSFER OF ASSETS
TO THE TOWN OF MARKHAM (9.0)
Report 1 2
Stephen Huycke, Public
Services and Records Coordinator gave a brief
presentation regarding the request by the Trustees of Thornhill Cemetery to
convey all the assets of the Trust to the Corporation of The Town of Markham.
The Committee
questioned the difference between the
current cost of operating the cemetery, and the projected cost of the Town
operating the cemetery, with respect to services provided. The issue is to
ensure the same level of service will be provided. Staff was requested to send
an e-mail with further information.
Bruce Stewart, caretaker
of the cemetery, briefly described maintenance issues and advised that the property
contains a forest, therefore branch and leaf removal are major factors.
The Committee
questioned future potential transfers from other cemeteries. Lorne Smith, Town
Historian, agreed to e-mail a list of all operational cemeteries in Markham, to
the Committee.
The Committee
recognized the significance of the cemetery in the Thornhill community, and
expressed appreciation to Trustees and their dedication over the years. A
letter of appreciation will be sent on behalf of the Town.
Moved by Councillor
V. Burke
Seconded by Councillor
E. Shapero
1)
That the report entitled
“Thornhill Cemetery – Transfer of Assets to the Town of Markham” be received;
and,
2)
That Council endorse a request by
the Trustees of Thornhill Cemetery to convey all the assets of the Trust to the
Corporation of The Town of Markham; and,
3)
That Council authorizes the
Town to assume ownership of and responsibility for all of the assets of the
Trustees of Thornhill Cemetery; and,
4)
That Staff be directed to
submit a request to the Registrar, Ministry of Consumer Services, Consumer
Protection Branch, Cemeteries Regulation Unit, to merge the assets of the
Trustees of Thornhill Cemetery ‘Care and Maintenance Fund’ into the Town’s
Cemetery Trust Fund; and,
5)
That a reserve entitled
“Cemetery Operations Reserve” be established, and,
6)
That the Cemetery Operations
Reserve be funded through the financial assets in the General and Reserve Fund
being assumed from the Trustees of Thornhill Cemetery; and
7)
That a letter of appreciation be sent to the Trustees of Thornhill
Cemetery from the Mayor’s office, on behalf of the Town; and further,
8)
That Staff be authorized and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
10. INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS UPDATE
RInC & STIMULUS (6.0)
Presentation
Brenda Librecz,
Commissioner of Community Services, introduced this presentation to provide an update
of activities in the Infrastructure RInC and Stimulus programs. The
Commissioner thanked all departments involved for their support. The Town will
be posting signage in the near future to advise the public of the projects.
Glen Taylor gave a
brief background of the infrastructure program. Mr. Taylor provided updates on
the various projects, which are all on budget with completion targeted for
February, 2011. He detailed the Thornhill Community Centre, St. Roberts
Artificial Turf & Bubble, Angus Glen Indoor Tennis complex, and Civic
Centre Artificial Ice Rink projects.
The Committee
requested that additional plantings be added to the Civic Centre rink plan, if
possible. Congratulates were conveyed to staff on managing and achieving $23m
worth of projects.
Moved by Regional
Councillor J. Virgilio
Seconded by Regional
Councillor G. Landon
1)
That the presentation by Mr.
Glen Taylor, Manager of Community Centre Operations, entitled “Infrastructure
Projects Update RInC & Stimulus” be received.
CARRIED
NEW BUSINESS
11. ST. BARSAUMO SYRIAC ORTHODOX
CHURCH
3250 DENISON STREET (7.11)
It was brought to the
Committee’s attention that the St. Barsaumo Syriac Orthodox Church is
requesting a deferral of Development Charges for a place of worship being
constructed at 3250 Denison Street. In order to avoid a delay, this matter will
be addressed at Council on September 21, 2010.
Moved by Regional
Councillor G. Landon
Seconded by Councillor
L. Kanapathi
That Corporate Services
bring forward a recommendation regarding the deferral of Development Charges
for the St. Barsaumo Syriac Orthodox Church at 3250 Denison Street, to the
Council meeting scheduled for September 21, 2010;
And that,
alternatively, a recommendation to delegate authority to the CAO be considered.
CARRIED
IN CAMERA MATTERS
Moved by Councillor
C. Moretti
Seconded by Councillor
E. Shapero
That, in
accordance with Sections 239 (2) (b) (e) and (f) of the Municipal Act, General Committee resolve into an in-camera
session to discuss the following confidential matters:
1)
Confidential General Committee
Minutes – May 10, June 14 and 21, 2010
2)
A litigation matter regarding a
hearing decision.
3)
Advice that is subject to
Solicitor-Client privilege regarding the termination of an agreement.
4)
A personal matter about an
identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees,
regarding the selection of a Municipal Compliance Audit Committee.
CARRIED
Moved by Councillor A. Chiu
Seconded by Regional Councillor A. Chiu
That the Committee
rise from the in-camera session (11:10 AM)
CARRIED
ADJOURNMENT
The General Committee meeting adjourned at 11:15 AM.