M I N U T E S

GENERAL COMMITTEE

January 17, 2011

Meeting No. 3

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

Mayor Frank Scarpitti Deputy Mayor Jack Heath Regional Councillor Jim Jones Regional Councillor Gord Landon Regional Councillor Joe Li Councillor Valerie Burke Councillor. Howard Shore Councillor Don Hamilton Councillor Carolina Moretti Councillor Colin Campbell Councillor Alan Ho Councillor Logan Kanapathi Councillor Alex Chiu

John Livey, Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Conrad, Town Solicitor Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services Brenda Librecz, Commissioner of Community & Fire Services Andy Taylor, Commissioner of Corporate Services Gary Adamkowski, Acting Director, Asset Management Peter Loukes, Director, Operations Joel Lustig, Treasurer Alex Moore, Manager of Purchasing Colin Service, Manager, Planning & Policy Development Ernie Ting, Manager Infrastructure Mary Creighton, Director Recreation Services Martin Barrow, Facilities Allocation Coordinator Andrea Tang, Manager Financial Planning Veronica Siu, Acting Manager, Financial Planning Stephen Chait, Director Economic Development Alida Tari, Council/Committee Coordinator

The General Committee convened at the hour of 1:04 p.m. with Mayor Frank Scarpitti in the Chair; Councillor Alex Chiu Chaired Community Services related item Nos. 16 and 17.

DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST

None disclosed.

1. MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 13, 2010 AND
JANUARY 10, 2011 GENERAL COMMITTEE (16.0)

December January

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the Minutes of the December 13, 2010 and January 10, 2011 General Committee be confirmed

CARRIED

2. MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 15, 2010
ACCESSIBILITY COMMITTEE (16.0)

Minutes

It was noted that Alan Ho's name is misspelled in the minutes.

Councillor Don Hamilton stated his support regarding Sydney's concern related to the accessible parking at the new development on Highway 48 south of Major Mackenzie Drive. Staff was requested to look into this concern.

There was brief discussion regarding new guidelines with respect to accessibility improvements and accessibility changes being completed to various Town facilities.

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the Minutes of the December 15, 2010 Accessibility Committee be received for information purposes.

CARRIED

3. MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 15 AND
DECEMBER 20, 2010 BUDGET SUB-COMMITTEE (16.0)

December 15 December 20

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the Minutes of the December 15 and December 20, 2010 Budget Sub-Committee be received for information purposes.

CARRIED

4. MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 28, 2010
CYCLING & PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (16.0)

Minutes

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the Minutes of the October 28, 2010 Cycling & Pedestrian Advisory Committee be received for information purposes.

CARRIED

5. MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 18, 2010
ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (16.0)

Minutes

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the Minutes of the November 18, 2010 Environmental Advisory Committee be received for information purposes.

CARRIED

6. MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 10, 2010
PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE (16.0)

Minutes

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the Minutes of the November 10, 2010 Public Art Advisory Committee be received for information purposes.

CARRIED

7. MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 22, 2010
PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD (16.0)

Minutes

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the Minutes of the November 22, 2010 Public Library Board be received for information purposes.

CARRIED

8. MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 1, 2010
RACE RELATIONS COMMITTEE (16.0)

Minutes

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the Minutes of the November 1, 2010 Race Relations Committee be received for information purposes.

CARRIED

9. MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 9, 2010
SENIORS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (16.0)

Minutes

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the Minutes of the November 9, 2010 Seniors Advisory Committee be received for information purposes.

CARRIED

10. MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 1, 2010
THE FRIENDS OF THE MARKHAM MUSEUM
FOUNDATION BOARD (16.0)

Minutes Code of Ethics

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the Minutes of the December 1, 2010 The Friends of the Markham Museum Foundation Board be received for information purposes.

CARRIED

11. AWARD OF TENDER 006-T-10 STEELCASE ROAD
EAST SANITARY SEWER REPAIR (7.12.1)

Report

The Committee inquired what is being done to recover the $426,417.24. Ms. Catherine Conrad, Town Solicitor advised that the Town is in the process of taking legal action against a property owner on Steelecase Road.

There was brief discussion regarding the 2008 Capital Budget account(#053-6150-8334-005) being used to fund the cost to repair the sewers in order to mitigate further damage and risks.

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the report entitled “Award of Tender 006-T-10 Steelcase Road East Sanitary Sewer Repair” be received; and,

2) That the contract for tender 006-T-10 Steelcase Road East Sanitary Sewer Repair be awarded to the sole bidder, Tectonic Infrastructure Inc., in the amount of $396,813.84 inclusive of HST; and,

3) That a contingency be established in the amount of $29,603.40 inclusive of HST to cover any additional construction costs; and,

4) That the award be funded from the Sewer System Upgrade Program account #053-6150-8334-005 of the Town’s 2008 Capital Budget in the amount of $426,417.24 inclusive of HST; and further,

5) That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

CARRIED

12. 2011 BUDGET SCHEDULE (7.0) Page 71

Report

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the report dated January 17, 2011 entitled “2011 Budget Schedule” be received; and,

2) That the Budget Sub-Committee meetings scheduled for the dates and times below be approved;

Meeting #3 – Monday, January 10^th (1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Canada Room)

Meeting #4 – Monday, January 24^th (1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Canada Room)

Meeting #5 – Monday, January 31^st (1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Canada Room)

Meeting #6 – Monday, February 7^th (2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. – Canada Room); and,

3) That the Draft Public Meeting Presentation be presented at the February 14^th General Committee meeting; and,

4) That a public meeting be held on February 23^rd to receive public feedback on the 2011 Budget; and further,

5) That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

CARRIED

13. PROPOSED 2011 WATER/WASTEWATER
RATE INCREASE (7.0)

Report Appendix A

There was discussion regarding York Region's projected 10% water increase over the next two years.

The Committee requested that staff provide some information related to delinquency rates.

It was pointed out that funds received from water rates are strictly used for the water system only (reinvestments into the system and upgrades to infrastructure to keep up with forecasted growth).

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the report dated January 17, 2011 entitled “Proposed 2011 Water/Wastewater Rate Increase” be received; and,

2) That staff be authorized to hold a public meeting on February 1, 2011 at 6:45p.m. on the

proposed 2011 Water/Wastewater rate increase; and,

3) That the 2011 Town of Markham’s (“Town”) Water/Wastewater rate increase be equivalent to the Region of York’s (“Region”) monetary increase of $0.1352 per cubic metre (m³) based on Region’s estimated increase of 10%; and,

4) That in addition to the Region’s increase, the 2011 Water/Wastewater rate increase includes a surcharge of $0.0683/m³; and,

5) That effective April 1, 2011, the 2011 Water/Wastewater rate will be $2.4164/m³, an increase of $0.2035/m³; and further,

6) That Staff be authorized to present the “2011 Proposed Water/Wastewater Rates” presentation (Appendix A) at the February 1, 2011 Public Meeting.

CARRIED

14. DISSOLUTION OF THE GRANTS SUB-COMMITTEE
AND APPROVAL OF FIRST QUARTER 2011
CELEBRATE MARKHAM GRANTS (7.6)

Report

The Committee suggested that clause 2 of the resolution be amended to replace "General Committee" with "Budget Subcommittee".

There was discussion regarding the three suggested Celebrate Markham events to be approved and whether the same level of funding should be provided to all community groups/organizations that received Celebrate Markham grants in 2010. It was noted that the three suggested (Black History Month, Chinese New Year Celebration and Tony Roman Hockey Tournament) are being approved at this time as a result of timing issues. The Committee briefly discussed the importance of going through the grant application process prior to approving any other grants.

Joel Lustig, Treasurer, presented the Committee with the list of community groups/organizations that received Celebrate Markham grants in 2010.

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the report entitled “Dissolution of the Grants Sub-Committee and approval of first quarter 2011 Celebrate Markham Grants” be received; and,

2) That the Grants Sub-Committee be dissolved and the decision making responsibilities be transferred to Budget Subcommittee; and,

3) That the following Celebrate Markham events: Black History Month ($2,000), Chinese New Year Celebration ($10,000) and the Tony Roman Hockey Tournament ($6,000) be approved at the 2010 funding levels; and,

4) That Staff to bring forward the remaining 2011 Celebrate Markham Grant requests at a future General Committee meeting; and further,

5) That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

CARRIED

15. BUDGET SUB COMMITTEE-
ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE (7.0)

Report

The Committee advised that Terms of References need to be established for these suggested task forces and/or working groups.

There was discussion regarding whether any of these suggested task forces could be referred to other existing Town Committee and whether any of them could be part of the proposed "At Your Service" task force.

The Committee discussed what the intended objective is for the proposed Windrow Plowing Services task force.

The Committee made the following suggestions:

• Windrow Plowing Service be a task force
• Include Regional Councillor Joe Li and Councillor Alex Chiu as members for the Windrow Plowing Service task force
• Implementation of Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Streetlight Continue be a working group and include Councillor Alex Chiu as a member
• Refer the Consolidation of TXM (Tax Manager) and Amanda to the Information Technology Subcommittee (IT)
• Boulevard Maintenance on Regional and Local Roads be a working group and include the following as members Regional Councillor Gord Landon, Regional Councillor Joe Li and Councillor Alex Chiu

Moved by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Seconded by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

1) That the report dated January 10th, 2011 entitled “Establishment of Task Forces” be

brought forward to General Committee for approval; and,

2) That the following bodies be established to investigate the following areas, with members as noted and Chairs to be appointed by the members:

a) Windrow Plowing Services Task Force
Regional Councillor Gord Landon
Regional Councillor Joe Li
Councillor Colin Campbell
Councillor Alan Ho
Councillor Don Hamilton
Councillor Logan Kanapathi

Councillor Alex Chiu

b) Implementation of Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Streetlights Continue Working Group
Regional Councillor Gord Landon
Councillor Howard Shore

Councillor Alex Chiu

c) That the Consolidation of the following be referred to the Information Technology Subcommittee:

Consolidation of TXM (Tax Manager) and Amanda
Councillor Alan Ho
Councillor Howard Shore

d) Boulevard Maintenance on Regional and Local Roads Working Group

Deputy Mayor Heath

Regional Councillor Jim Jones

Regional Councillor Gord Landon

Regional Councillor Joe Li

Councillor Alex Chiu

e) E3 Taskforce

To be reinstated with current members: Mayor Frank Scarpitti. Deputy Mayor Jack Heath, Regional Councillor Jim Jones, Regional Councillor Gord Landon, and Councillor Carolina Moretti, and additional members appointed: Regional Councillor Joe Li Councillor Howard Shore; and,

3) That the task force and working groups report back to General Committee on opportunities and action items on or before June 13th, 2011; and,

4) That any financial implications be considered in the 2012 budget process; and

further,

5) That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this

resolution.

CARRIED

16. COMMUNITY LEAD TESTING PROGRAM-
STATUS REPORT (6) (5.3)

Report

Moved by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

Seconded by Councillor Valerie Burke

1) That the report titled “Community Lead Testing Program – Status Report (6)” be received; and,

2) That staff report back to Council with the findings of the Community Lead Testing Program after completion of sampling period #7; and further,

3) That staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

CARRIED

17. CRICKET PITCH ALLOCATION POLICY (6.0)

Report Policy

The Committee discussed the importance of ensuring that the cricket allocation policy promotes a greater stewardship for the cricket pitches. Staff advised that when permits are issued the permit owner is given an orientation on the Town's expectations.

There was discussion regarding allocation for local groups. Staff advised that the Town only provides allocation for cricket pitches to Markham residents and allocation time is based proportionately to the number of Markham residents.

Deputy Mayor Jack Heath requested that he work with staff to expand on 7.3 of the Cricket Allocation Policy to address his concerns prior to January 25, 2011 Council meeting.

Moved by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

Seconded by Councillor Don Hamilton

1) That the report entitled “Cricket Pitch Allocation Policy” be received; and,

2) That Council endorse the Cricket Pitch Policy, giving staff the authority to allocate time on pitches in accordance with the policy; and further,

3) That staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

CARRIED

NEW BUSINESS

18. DOG OFF-LEASH AREAS

Councillor Howard Shore advised the Committee that he has been receiving numerous inquires regarding dog off-leash areas. It was suggested that he hold a Public Information Meeting for his constituents explaining how the process regarding requests for dog off-leash areas are handled.

Councillor Shore inquired how many applications have been received and approved by the Town for dog off-leash areas. It was suggested that staff e-mail that response to the Mayor and Members of Council.

19. FEDERATION OF CANADIAN MUNICIPALITIES (FCM) (13.12.4)

Councillor Alex Chiu expressed an interest in running for the election for the Board of FCM and asked Members of Council for their support.

Moved by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

Seconded by Regional Councillor Gord Landon

That Council support Councillor Alex Chiu's decision to seek a position as a Director of FCM's National Board; and,

That Council approve any expenses associated with Councillor Alex Chiu's attendance at FCM Board meeting should he be elected.

CARRIED

20. RESTRICTED MATTERS

January 17, 2011 General Committee Meeting (16.0)

Moved by Councillor Carolina Moretti

Seconded by Councillor Alex Chiu

That, in accordance with Section 239 (2) (c) of the Municipal Act, General Committee resolve into an in-camera session to discuss the following confidential matters (3:04 PM):

1) A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board. (See Restricted Agenda)

CARRIED

Moved by Deputy Mayor Jack Heath

Seconded by Regional Councillor Jim Jones

That the Committee rise from the in-camera session (6:06 PM)

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

The General Committee meeting adjourned at 6:09 PM