Date:

Monday, March 19, 2012

Place:

Anderson Room

Richmond City Hall

Present:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair

Councillor Chak Au

Councillor Derek Dang

Councillor Ken Johnston

Councillor Bill McNulty

Councillor Linda McPhail

Councillor Harold Steves (4:01 p.m.)

Absent:

Councillor Linda Barnes

Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, March 5, 2012, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

Councillor Harold Steves entered the meeting (4:01 p.m.).

DELEGATION

1.

Gordon Hardwick, Manager, Community Affairs, BC Film Commission expressed appreciation for the support the BC Film Commission has received from the City of Richmond.  During his presentation, Mr. Hardwick spoke about:

·      

how the film industry chooses locations based on creative needs, and noted that popular filming locations in Richmond have included City Hall and Steveston;

·      

how City of Richmond staff responds to film industry client requests in a timely manner, and the importance of continued management of service levels, including keeping costs to a manageable level;

·      

how the film industry does not realize that there are 24 separate municipalities, and view the region as “Vancouver”.  Mr. Hardwick encouraged the City to consider how the other municipalities are managing their process to ensure consistency; and

·      

how the film industry uses state of the art equipment available locally and hires local labour for productions. 

COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

2.

Richmond Film Office Update and Bylaw Amendments

(File Ref. No. 08-4150-09-01/2012-Vol 01) (REDMS No. 3425923v6)

Amarjeet Rattan, Director, Intergovernmental Relations & Protocol Unit, and Jodie Shebib, Major Events and Film Liaison, were available to answer questions.  A discussion ensued about:

·      

the rationale for the proposed application fee of $200; factors taken into consideration included staff time, and application fees charged by other municipalities.  It was also noted that Richmond does not charge a permit fee, as the administrative costs associated with filming are covered by the application fee;

·      

the level of production in Richmond in comparison to other municipalities;

·      

the proposed fee of $2040 per day for filming at Richmond City Hall.  It was noted that staff took into consideration factors such as the inability to rent out other rooms in City Hall during filming when determining the fee; and

·      

the level of support currently provided by the City’s staff to the film industry which varies depending on the nature of the production.

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

the Filming Regulation Bylaw No. 8708 be introduced and given first, second and third readings; and

(2)

the Consolidated Fees Bylaw No. 8636, Amendment Bylaw No. 8709 be introduced and given first, second and third readings.

CARRIED

3.

Jane Fernyhough, Director, Arts, Culture & Heritage, and Liesl Jauk, Manager, Community Cultural Development, thanked the staff members who were involved in the adjudication of the 2012 Arts and Culture Grant Program.  Ms. Jauk provided background information and spoke about the Program’s goals, which included strengthening the infrastructure of arts and culture organizations; creating new arts opportunities; showing support for the careers of local artists; and supporting a range of artistic and cultural activity.  Ms. Jauk noted that 26 applications were received for 2012, and the number and quality of applications is expected to increase in future years.

A discussion then ensued about the 2012 Arts and Culture Grant Program as well as various applications for grants, and in particular on:

·      

the amount of funding available for the 2012 Arts and Culture Grant Program;

·      

the rationale for not granting the Richmond Community Band’s requested amount of $3600.  It was noted that each application is evaluated under the application review process on three key areas: merit, organizational capacity, and impact.  The three key areas are assigned a numerical ranking to create a total numeric score, and that the score for the Richmond Community Band may not have indicated the highest score;

·      

the rationale for not granting the Community Arts Council a grant for 2012.  It was noted that the Community Arts Council had an accumulated deficit in excess of $60,000;  

·      

the rationale for granting the Britannia Heritage Shipyard Society only $850 for 2012.  It was noted that the Britannia Heritage Shipyard Society had not completed the application form to fit the criteria for the grant; and

·      

the two introductory workshops that were offered to applicants in November 2011, to review eligibility criteria and the application form, as well as the need for future budgeting and grant writing workshops in order to raise the capacity and development of arts groups to seek other grant opportunities.

Margaret Stephens, Treasurer and Primary Administrator, accompanied by Natasha Lozovsky-Burns, President, The Community Arts Council of Richmond, provided copies of the Council’s current financial statements (on file City Clerk’s Office), and spoke about a decrease in the Council’s accumulated deficit.  She stated that the deficit was a result of the operation of the Artisans’ Galleria, which has since closed, meaning that the Council now will be able to sustain itself in the area of general expenses.  Ms. Stephens also spoke about a restricted investment the Council holds with the Vancouver Foundation, and noted that the Foundation pays the Council quarterly interest based on $170,000 perpetuity.  In conclusion, Ms. Stephens requested the City to consider providing grant funding towards (i) the Exhibition Series which has been produced continuously for over five years; and (ii) upgrades to the Council’s website. 

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That:

(a)

the Richmond Community Band Society be awarded a total grant amount of $3600;

(b)

the Community Arts Council be awarded a total grant amount of $5000; and

(c)

the Britannia Heritage Shipyard Society be awarded a total grant amount of $2500,

for a total additional increase of $7250; and

(2)

That the 2012 Arts and Culture Grants be awarded for the recommended amounts, and cheques disbursed for a total of $82,300 (additional $7250 grants included) as per the staff report from the Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage Services, dated March 2, 2012.

The question on the motion was not called as a brief discussion ensued about the Community Arts Council’s grant application, as well as the Council’s restricted investment with the Vancouver Foundation. 

The question on the motion was then called, and it was CARRIED.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

4.

Council Term Goals for the Term 2011-2014

(File Ref. No. 01-0103-65-20-02/Vol 01) (REDMS No. 3482823)

A discussion ensued between members of Committee and Lani Schultz, Director, Corporate Planning about the Council Term Goals for the 2011-2014 term, and in particular on:

·      

how to communicate comments related to the RCMP Contract renewal process to the appropriate bodies.  Phyllis Carlyle, General Manager, Law and Community Safety noted that City Council has previously communicated directly with the Solicitor General, who is currently in the process of finalizing the contract.  Ms. Carlyle noted that policing would continue uninterrupted until a new contract is entered into, and that an undertaking of a wide review of community policing needs in the City is currently in its initial phases;

·      

the City’s capabilities with regard to addressing the growing needs of older adults in the community;

·      

ongoing dialogue with the City’s MLAs and MPs to ensure better representation of Richmond’s needs in Victoria and Ottawa for social services issues and the related effects of downloading;

·      

the feasibility of revising the Community Social Services section by adding “2.8 Completion of the Memorial Garden Project”; and

·      

the feasibility of revising 5.1 under the Financial Management section with the following wording: “Develop a strategic plan that considers borrowing to take advantage of the current low interest rates and results in significant long term financial benefits for the City”.

It was moved and seconded

That the Council Term Goals for the 2011-2014 term of office, as outlined in the staff report dated February 28, 2012 from the Director, Corporate Planning, be approved with the following amendments:

(1)

The addition of 2.8 under the Community Social Services section, to read as: 

“2.8 Completion of the Memorial Garden Project”; and

(2)

The revision of 5.1 under Financial Management to read as:

“5.1 Develop a strategic plan that considers borrowing to take advantage of the current low interest rates and results in significant long term financial benefits for the City”. 

CARRIED

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT & FACILITY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

5.

South Arm Pool Piping Repairs

(File Ref. No. 06-2050-20-PSA/Vol 01) (REDMS No. 3489639)

Janet Whitehead, Senior Project Manager, was available to answer questions. 

It was moved and seconded

That the estimated expenditures of $70,000 with respect to the South Arm Pool Piping Repair project be funded from the Minor Capital Provision. 

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:04 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Monday, March 19, 2012.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie

Chair

Shanan Dhaliwal

Executive Assistant

City Clerk’s Office