April 22, 2014 - Minutes
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General Purposes Committee
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Date: |
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 |
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Place: |
Anderson Room |
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Present: |
Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair |
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Absent: |
Councillor Linda Barnes |
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Call to Order: |
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. |
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MINUTES |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, April 7, 2014, be adopted as circulated. |
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CARRIED |
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DELEGATION |
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1. |
Carol Mason, Chief Administrative Officer, Metro Vancouver, to provide an update on Metro Vancouver operations and activities. |
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Please see Page 4 for discussion on this matter. |
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LAW & COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT |
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2. |
Sister City Advisory Committee 2013 Year In Review |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Amarjeet Rattan, Director, Intergovernmental Relations and Protocol Unit, advised that (i) a memorandum dated March 25, 2014 was circulated to Council providing an update on the Wakayama student exchange visit, (ii) the Sister City Advisory Committee is currently working on 2014 initiatives, however 2015 initiatives will be planned in the near future, and (iii) the draft Wakayama 40th Anniversary book is anticipated to available in approximately three months. |
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Mayor Brodie requested that the memorandum dated March 25, 2014 regarding the Wakayama student exchange visit be re-circulated to Council. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the Sister City Advisory Committee 2013 Year in Review, attached to the staff report dated March 27, 2014, from the Director, Intergovernmental Relations and Protocol Unit, be received for information. |
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CARRIED |
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FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES DEPARTMENT |
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3. |
2014 Annual Property Tax Rates Bylaw |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the Annual Property Tax Rates (2014) Bylaw No. 9131 be introduced and given first, second and third reading. |
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CARRIED |
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4. |
Options for the 2014 General Local Election |
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In reply to queries from Committee, David Weber, Director, City Clerk's Office provided the following information: |
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local governments that implemented the at-large voting initiative for the 2011 General Local Election had a positive experience with the technology; |
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the at-large voting initiative did not result in a large increase in voter turnout for lower mainland local governments that implemented it for the 2011 General Local Election; |
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after the 2008 General Local Election, staff were asked (i) to examine options to increase voter turnout, and (ii) to provide additional election information to the public; as a result, the at-large voting initiative was one of the initiatives that was implemented in Richmond as a pilot for the 2011 General Local Election; |
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staff received positive feedback in relation to candidate profiles; the candidate profiles were included in the Voters Guide, which was mailed to every Richmond household; |
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the at-large voting initiative did not appear to significantly affect overall voter turnout, however its benefit was seen in the convenience of being able to vote at any voting location; and |
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based on data collected from the forthcoming 2014 General Local Election, staff will follow-up and review voting division boundaries to see whether some of the identified larger divisions should be adjusted in future to create additional smaller divisions; for the 2014 General Local Election, the higher volumes typically seen at these voting places will be managed by increasing staffing levels. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That: |
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(1) |
based on Option 1, including all additional program components, as set out in the staff report dated March 3, 2014 from the Director, City Clerk’s Office, staff be authorized to take all necessary steps to conduct and make arrangements for the 2014 General Local Election; |
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(2) |
staff bring forward any appropriate bylaw amendments, as required, pertaining to the 2014 General Local Election; and |
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(3) |
one-time additional funding be approved in the amount of $182,500 from the General Contingency Account, in accordance with the option selected. |
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The question on the motion was not called as discussion ensued and some Committee members commented that (i) the modest increase in voter turnout as a result of implementing the at-large voting initiative does not justify its costs, (ii) the additional program components are worthwhile as they provide supplementary election information to the public, and (iii) the divisional voting model facilitates community members connecting with one another. |
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The question on the motion was then called and it was CARRIED with Mayor Brodie and Cllr. Au opposed. |
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DELEGATION |
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1. |
Carol Mason, Chief Administrative Officer, Metro Vancouver, to provide an update on Metro Vancouver operations and activities. |
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With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation (copy on file, City Clerk’s Office), Carol Mason, Chief Administrative Officer, Metro Vancouver, provided an overview of Metro Vancouver’s operations and activities. |
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Ms. Mason then distributed copies of the Metro Vancouver Board Strategic Plan (copy on file, City Clerk’s Office), and commented on the Board’s strategic priorities: (i) maintaining the reputation that Metro Vancouver is a liveable region, (ii) contributing to regional prosperity, (iii) conserving resources, (iv) treating waste as a resource, (v) providing affordable services through sustainable and equitable financing, and (vi) collaborating regionally. |
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In reply to queries from Committee, Ms. Mason advised that a copy of her PowerPoint presentation will be forwarded to Council for information and that she would provide additional information regarding the Housing Corporation’s vacancy rates and policies related to families requiring larger units. |
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ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT |
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5. |
River Green District Energy Utility Service Area Bylaw No. 9134 |
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John Irving, Director, Engineering, provided background information and in reply to queries from Committee advised that (i) the cost to the customer will be less than or equal to conventional system energy costs based on the same level of service, (ii) rates are established annually by Council and no subsidies are provided, (iii) at full build out, the Alexandra District Energy Utility will result in a reduction of approximately 6,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, (iv) the City’s District Energy Utilities surpass other District Energy Utilities, and (v) staff have received no complaints from users of the City’s District Energy Utilities. |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the River Green District Energy Utility Service Area Bylaw No. 9134, presented in the staff report titled River Green District Energy Utility Service Area Bylaw No. 9134 dated April 17, 2014, from the Director, Engineering be introduced and given first, second and third reading. |
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CARRIED |
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ADJOURNMENT |
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It was moved and seconded |
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That the meeting adjourn (5:03 p.m.). |
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CARRIED |
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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 Tuesday, April 22, 2014. |
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_________________________________ |
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Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie |
Hanieh Berg |