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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember 4, 2024 - Draft Draft Executive Committee Meeting Minutes November 4, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 2:00 pm Chair: Councillor Nagy 1 Present: Mayor Kevin Ashe Councillors: M. Brenner S. Butt L. Cook M. Nagy D. Pickles L. Robinson Also Present: M. Carpino - Chief Administrative Officer K. Bentley - Director, City Development & CBO P. Bigioni - Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor S. Boyd - Fire Chief B. Duffield - Director, Operations J. Eddy - Director, Human Resources L. Gibbs - Director, Community Services R. Holborn - Director, Engineering Services F. Jadoon - Director, Economic Development & Strategic Projects S. Karwowski - Director, Finance & Treasurer C. Rose - Chief Planner S. Cassel - City Clerk J. Halsall - Division Head, Finance D. Quaife - Division Head, Information Technology S. Ahimaz - Coordinator, Major Capital Projects C. Redmond - (Acting) Deputy Clerk 1. Call to Order/Roll Call The City Clerk certified that all Members of Council were present and participating in-person. 2. Disclosure of Interest No disclosures of interest were noted. There were no requests from credentialed media for filming in Council Chambers. Draft Executive Committee Meeting Minutes November 4, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 2:00 pm Chair: Councillor Nagy 2 3. Delegations There were no delegations. 4. Matters for Consideration 4.1 Director, Community Services, Report CS 34-24 Community Association Lease Agreement at West Shore Community Centre - 856 Pickering Kinsmen Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron Recommendation: Moved by Councillor Brenner Seconded by Councillor Cook 1. That the Mayor and City Clerk be authorized to execute the Lease Agreement with 856 Pickering Kinsmen Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron for storage spaces at West Shore Community Centre, set out in Attachment 1 to this report, subject to minor revisions as may be required by the Director, Community Services and the Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor; and, 2. That the appropriate City officials be authorized to take the necessary actions as indicated in this report. Carried 4.2 Director, Community Services, Report CS 35-24 Recognition of Ernie Coombs A brief discussion ensued between Members of Council and staff regarding the suggested location for the artwork at George Ashe Library and Community Centre, and the process surrounding selecting an artist. Recommendation: Moved by Councillor Brenner Seconded by Councillor Cook That Report CS 35-24, regarding the recognition of Ernie Coombs’ contribution to the community, be received for information. Carried Draft Executive Committee Meeting Minutes November 4, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 2:00 pm Chair: Councillor Nagy 3 4.3 Director, Community Services, Report CS 36-24 2025 Community Festivals and Events - Approval of 2025 Events in Esplanade Park Recommendation: Moved by Councillor Brenner Seconded by Councillor Cook 1. That staff be authorized to issue a park permit for use of Esplanade Park by Rotary Club of Pickering from Tuesday, June 10, 2025, until Monday, June 16, 2024, for Pickering Rotary Ribfest, subject to terms and conditions satisfactory to Director, Community Services and Chief Administrative Officer and that the Mayor and City Clerk be authorized to execute the Licensing Agreement subject to terms and conditions satisfactory to Director, Community Services and Chief Administrative Officer; 2. That Council authorize staff to issue the following park permits for use of Esplanade Park, subject to terms and conditions satisfactory to Director, Community Services and Chief Administrative Officer: • Durham Community Health Centre on Friday, June 20, 2025, for National Indigenous Peoples Day; • Jennifer O’Connell, Member of Parliament, on Friday, July 18, 2025, and Friday, July 25, 2025 as the rain date, for MP O’Connell’s Movie Night; • Affiliation For Inspiring Youth Upliftment Enterprise (A.F.I.Y.U) on Saturday, July 26, 2025, for the A.F.I.Y.U. Enterprise Movie on the Esplanade and Cultural Event; • Region of Durham on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, for the Regional Emancipation Day Celebration; • Apostolic Pentecostal Church on Tuesday, August 12, 2025 for the APC Sing-a-long; • Pickering-Uxbridge Progressive Conservative Electoral District Association (P.C.E.D.A.) on Saturday, August 16, 2025 and Sunday, August 17, 2025 as the rain date, for the Pickering-Uxbridge P.C.E.D.A. Community BBQ; and, Draft Executive Committee Meeting Minutes November 4, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 2:00 pm Chair: Councillor Nagy 4 • Indo-Canadian Cultural Association of Durham on Saturday, August 23, 2025, and Sunday, August 24, 2025 as the rain date, for the Celebration of India’s Heritage; 3. That staff be authorized to issue a park permit for use of Esplanade Park by Canadian Food Truck Festivals from Thursday, August 7, 2025, until Monday August 11, 2025, for the Pickering Food Truck Festival, subject to terms and conditions satisfactory to Director, Community Services and Chief Administrative Officer and that the Mayor and City Clerk be authorized to execute the Licensing Agreement subject to terms and conditions satisfactory to Director, Community Services and Chief Administrative Officer; and, 4. That the appropriate officials of the City of Pickering be authorized to take the necessary actions as indicated in this report. Carried 4.4 Director, Engineering Services, Report ENG 22-24 Streetlight Maintenance - Request for Proposal No. RFP2024-10 A brief discussion ensued between Members of Council and staff regarding: • forwarding the list of outstanding streetlight maintenance issues to the new contractor for action; • whether Customer Care staff could update residents who had reported streetlight maintenance issues that remained on the outstanding items list and to advise them that there was a new contractor; • confirmation that the process to submit streetlight outages would not change; • whether the City tracked savings on streetlight maintenance fees since the installation of LED streetlights throughout the City; and, • the status of the LED installation program across the City. Recommendation: Moved by Councillor Pickles Seconded by Councillor Cook 1. That the proposal submitted by Black & McDonald Limited, in response to Request for Proposal No. RFP2024-10 for Streetlight Maintenance, in the Draft Executive Committee Meeting Minutes November 4, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 2:00 pm Chair: Councillor Nagy 5 amount of $545,160.99 (HST included) be accepted for a term of one (1) year; 2. That the Mayor be requested to include funding in the amount of $490,934.00 (net HST) in the City’s 2025 Current Budget, (Engineering Services) to enable staff to award an agreement for a term of one (1) year for Streetlight Maintenance; 3. That, upon satisfactory contractor performance review by City staff, the Director, Engineering Services be authorized to extend this agreement on an annual basis thereafter for up to two (2) additional one (1) year terms with a price adjustment according to the annual rate of change in the Consumer Price Index (C.P.I.); 4. That the Director, Engineering Services be authorized to enter into and execute an agreement with the above-mentioned contractor pursuant to Request for Proposal No. RFP2024-10, and, 5. That the appropriate officials of the City of Pickering be authorized to take the necessary actions as indicated in this report. Carried 4.5 Director, Finance & Treasurer, Report FIN 22-24 Development Charges Interest Rate Policy Update A brief discussion ensued between Members of Council and staff regarding the changes to Development Charges interest rates to reflect Provincial legislation that prescribed a maximum interest rate, the use of security bonds to attract development, and whether the change in interest rates were a greater benefit to developers as opposed to the community. Recommendation: Moved by Councillor Pickles Seconded by Councillor Cook 1. That Report FIN 22-24 regarding Development Charges Interest Rate Policy Update be received; 2. That the revised Development Charge Interest Policy, set out in Attachment 1, be adopted by Council; and, Draft Executive Committee Meeting Minutes November 4, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 2:00 pm Chair: Councillor Nagy 6 3. That the appropriate officials of the City of Pickering be authorized to take the necessary actions as indicated in this report. Carried 4.6 Director, Finance & Treasurer, Report FIN 23-24 2025 User Fees A detailed discussion ensued between Members of Council and staff regarding: • the justification for raising user fees by 3% for all services, whether the increase was needed across all services, and whether the City had considered reducing other operative costs instead of increasing user fees; • increasing user fees to address City cost pressures including higher wages, the cost of materials and supplies, hydro, utility and capital costs, and that the annual incremental fee increases were passed on to those who benefitted from using the services; • whether the City would consider a hiring freeze or a freeze on staff salary increases to avoid an increase to user fees; • the need to have consideration for the City’s Collective Agreement, having wages that are comparable to other municipalities in order to remain competitive and retain qualified and competent staff; • the support programs in place to help minimize the financial barriers for residents who needed assistance in paying for programs, the free programs offered by the City, and confirmation that the membership program at the Chestnut Hill Development Complex was not tied to income; • whether a breakdown could be provided in relation to how the projected revenue of the additional user fees would be utilized, and that the additional fees would offset the operating costs associated with the programs; • whether the increase in fees would discourage some residents from participating in City programs; • confirmation that user fees were not included as part of the 2025 Mayor’s Budget, and that public feedback on the proposed user fees was sought through the City’s website; and, • whether user fees were also applied to groups that used facility space for their activities, and whether groups had access to other external resources other than the Community Grant Program to offset their costs. Recommendation: Moved by Mayor Ashe Seconded by Councillor Cook Draft Executive Committee Meeting Minutes November 4, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 2:00 pm Chair: Councillor Nagy 7 1. That Council approve the General Municipal Fees and Charges 2025 By-law (to amend By-laws 6191/03 and 7362/14), and Schedule I, as set out in Attachment 1, and incorporate these into the 2025 Current Budget; and, 2. That the appropriate City of Pickering officials be given authority to take the necessary actions to give effect thereto. Carried on a Recorded Vote as Follows: Yes: Councillor Brenner Councillor Butt Councillor Cook Councillor Nagy Councillor Pickles Mayor Ashe No: Councillor Robinson 4.7 Director, Operations, Report OPS 19-24 Municipal Highway Winter Maintenance Agreement - Mowbray Street (formerly Brock Road) in the City of Pickering A brief discussion ensued between Members of Council and staff regarding the ownership of Mowbray Street, and who would be responsible for winter maintenance on the road. Recommendation: Moved by Councillor Pickles Seconded by Councillor Brenner 1. That Report OPS 19-24 regarding the Municipal Highway Winter Maintenance Agreement on Mowbray Street (formerly Brock Road) between the Regional Municipality of Durham and the City of Pickering be received; 2. That the Mayor and City Clerk be authorized to execute a Municipal Highway Winter Maintenance Agreement with the Regional Municipality of Durham for a one year seasonal term commencing on November 1, 2023 and ending on April 30, 2024 and thereafter renewing automatically for five years on a year-by-year basis beginning on November 1st of each year and expiring on April 30th of the following year until April 30, 2028, in a form satisfactory to the Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor; and, Draft Executive Committee Meeting Minutes November 4, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 2:00 pm Chair: Councillor Nagy 8 3. That the appropriate City of Pickering officials be authorized to take the necessary actions to give effect hereto. Carried 4.8 Director, Operations, Report OPS 20-24 Council Chamber Renovation Design - Endorsement of Schematic Design Brian Duffield, Director, Operations, appeared before the Committee to speak to the Council Chamber Renovation Design. Through the aid of a PowerPoint Presentation, B. Duffield provided details on the background of the project and the need for renovations due to accessibility and antiquated technology concerns. B. Duffield provided an overview of the schematic design concept, including accessibility features, Council and staff seating, technology upgrades, security considerations, meeting management software, and renovations required to ensure that the appropriate provisions were in place to hold closed session meetings in the Chambers. B. Duffield spoke to the development of the design concepts and the resulting preferred schematic design recommended by staff, the key features and improvements of the design, and noted that construction would be completed in advance of the next municipal election. A question and answer period ensued between Members of Council and staff regarding: • whether accommodations would be made for those with visual and hearing impairments; • confirmation that the current hardware and software in Council Chambers was over 30 years old; • that the Region of Durham’s system in their Chambers had similar functionality that the City was looking for; • whether staff received input from all Members of Council on the schematic design; • whether there was an ability to retain the glass doors that separated the Chambers from the lobby while still meeting the necessary security features for in camera meetings; • sightline visibility from the viewing public and the delegation podium, and that there was a feature included in the design for a camera focused on the delegate; • the current and proposed capacity of the Council Chambers after renovations; • the inclusion of closed captioning, as part of the live stream in the new management meeting software, and that this would be launched prior to the Chamber renovation project; Draft Executive Committee Meeting Minutes November 4, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 2:00 pm Chair: Councillor Nagy 9 • the design being recommended due to it being the only design with barrier free access; • justification for the extra funds for public art in the Chambers when no events other than Committee/Council meetings would be held in the space; • the Council Chambers no longer being the best facility to host community events due to the limited capacity and the attendance growth at events that had occurred over the years; • whether it would be more fiscally responsible to continue using the Main Committee Room for in camera meetings or better suited to include in the Council Chambers renovations; • the rationale for the placement and layout of seating for both Council and staff; • public engagement on the design concepts through the Let’s Talk Pickering platform to introduce the design to the community; • the cost of the technology upgrades needed to meet future needs, whether a third-party service would be utilized to record meetings as a back-up, and confirmation that the design included back-up technology in the event of system issues; • concerns regarding video manipulation with confirmation by the CAO that videos were recorded and in the care of staff and that any statement made that there had been manipulation to videos was an accusation of staff that was incorrect, inaccurate and irresponsible; and, • clarification that funding for the schematic design was approved in 2024 and construction would be included in the 2025 Budget for approval. Recommendation: Moved by Councillor Butt Seconded by Councillor Brenner 1. That Report OPS 20-24 regarding the Council Chamber Renovations Design be received; 2. That Council endorse, in principle, the schematic design concept for the Council Chamber Renovations, as set out in Attachment 1, and that staff be authorized to proceed with development of contract documents sufficient for obtaining a building permit and to be issued for procurement of related construction services; and, 3. That the appropriate officials of the City of Pickering be authorized to take the actions necessary to implement the recommendations in this report. Draft Executive Committee Meeting Minutes November 4, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 2:00 pm Chair: Councillor Nagy 10 Carried on a Recorded Vote as Follows: Yes: Councillor Brenner Councillor Butt Councillor Cook Councillor Nagy Councillor Pickles Mayor Ashe No: Councillor Robinson 4.9 Director, City Development & CBO, Report PLN 27-24 New Parkland Dedication By-law, and Stratified Parks and Privately-Owned and Publicly Accessible Spaces Guidelines A brief discussion ensued between Members of Council and staff regarding how provincial legislation impacted parkland, whether the City would negotiate for more parkland with developers for the newer communities that don’t have available park space, whether staff had considered the written submissions from BILD, and that the 10-year Parks Master Plan included other opportunities to secure parkland. Recommendation: Moved by Councillor Pickles Seconded by Councillor Cook 1. That the Parkland Dedication By-law, as set out in Appendix I to Report PLN 27-24, be approved and forwarded to Council to be enacted; 2. That the existing Conveyance of Land for Park or Other Public Recreational Purposes, By-law 7955/22, be repealed on the day that the new Parkland Dedication By-law comes into full force and effect; 3. That the Stratified Parks and Privately-Owned and Publicly Accessible Spaces Guidelines, as set out in Appendix II to Report PLN 27-24, be endorsed by Council; and, 4. That the appropriate City of Pickering officials be authorized to take actions as necessary to implement the recommendations of this report. Carried 5. Member Updates on Committees Draft Executive Committee Meeting Minutes November 4, 2024 Hybrid Electronic Meeting – 2:00 pm Chair: Councillor Nagy 11 There were no Member updates on Committees. 6. Other Business There was no other business. 7. Adjournment Moved by Councillor Ashe Seconded by Councillor Cook That the meeting be adjourned. Carried The meeting adjourned at 3:57 pm.