If you haven’t watched or listened to Council on the Web recently, you’ll be happy to know they have made some improvements! They are no longer using Windows Media Player. I’m not really sure why they decided to replace it with Flash though. Oh well, they have mobile-friendly (HTML5) streams too.

Agendas for upcoming City Council meetings are generally released on Thursday afternoons. I like to take a look to see what Council will be discussing, and I figured I should share that here. Below you’ll find links to the meetings taking place next week, as well as links to and thoughts on some agenda items that caught my eye.

Monday, April 20, 2015

The week begins on Monday with a Community Services Committee meeting scheduled from 9:30am until 5:30pm. There are eight reports on the agenda, plus one response to an inquiry from Councillor Esslinger. Here’s what caught my eye:

Comparison of Policing Costs

Comparing the cost of policing across municipalities is difficult because they all have different services, funding sources, and reporting approaches. Still, EPS has attempted to provide some comparison in this report. They surveyed Vancouver, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal and received responses from Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, and Toronto. Here’s what they found after trying to account for differences between the agencies:

Comparison	Cost Per Capita – Tax Levy	Cost Per Capita – Gross Expenditures
Edmonton vs. Regina (2015)	$317 vs. $352	$405 vs. $398
Edmonton vs. Winnipeg (2014)	$314 vs. $305	$387 vs. $367
Edmonton vs. Calgary (2015)	$317 vs. $291	$396 vs. $365
Edmonton vs. Toronto (2015)	$317 vs. $366	$413 vs. $407

Gross Expenditures refers to the annual Operating Budget before applying Revenues. Tax Levy refers to the Operating Budget after the application of Revenues.

They also compared the Cost per Authorized Employee:

Here’s a comparison of Staff per 100,000 Population Ratio:

And here’s a comparison of the percentage of budget spent on support services:

There is no summary or concluding remarks in the report. Just the data.

Winspear Centre Staged Funding Agreement & Parking Solution

The current Winspear Centre was built in 1997 and they’re ready for expansion. Plans call for two main components:

1. $53 million towards a new 540 seat acoustic hall theatre, six multipurpose rooms, and commercial space
2. $25 million towards a new 380-stall automated robotic parking system

If funded, the expansion would be complete by 2019. Here’s where they expect the funding to come from:

• $13 million from each of the three orders of government for a total of $39 million
• $14 million from fundraising
• $25 million for the parking system in debt financing

So far the City has already approved $3.75 million for the project. The additional $9.25 million will still need to be approved, and could come from the Downtown CRL, the 2015-2018 Spring Capital Budget Update, or the Community Facility Partner Capital Grant Program.

The City anticipates bringing forward a capital budget profile in June.

Single-Use Recreation Fees

The City’s current recreation membership fees are organized into three tiers: facility (access to 13 smaller facilities), facility plus (access to the 13 smaller facilities plus Kinsmen and Commonwealth), and all facility. If you want to get access to the newest facilities, like Terwillegar, Clareview, or The Meadows, you either pay per use or you need to pay for the highest tier. Now the City is looking at the possibility of introducing a membership fee for use at a single facility.

A single-use pass would reduce revenue for the City but could make it more affordable for some citizens to access recreation facilities, which would be positive for health and wellness outcomes. I’m not sure if Council will take any action on this (there’s no recommendation) but my guess is that the fee structure will remain the same.

Other

Councillor Esslinger’s inquiry was made in January and is about the review of off-leash dog parks. Administration is doing that review now and expects public consultation to begin in May.

Here are some of the other reports on the agenda:

• An update on the Roof Rehabilitation and Replacement Program says the City has approximately 900 buildings with a current replacement value of $6 billion, plus another 676 miscellaneous structures (spray decks, foot bridges, etc.). An overall deferred maintenance gap for all civic buildings of $630 million has been identified for 2012-2021, with $160 million of that being deferred maintenance for roofs. The City’s roof inventory currently exists of approximately 10.7 million square feet, and 45% of the City’s roofs range in age from 11 to over 41 years. As for condition, 45% are in fair to poor condition.
• The Fort Edmonton Management Company is looking for the City to contribute up to $1.8 million for a new catering kitchen to be built onto the back of the Blatchford Hangar building. They say net incremental earnings would recover the investment over a time period of 12 years.
• As required by the five year funding agreement established in 2012, there’s an update on the progress and activities of the Wicihitowin Circle of Shared Stewardship Society.

One report, on options for prohibiting smoking at all outdoor City-owned recreation facilities, parks, and attractions, has been given a revised date of June 29.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

On Tuesday, the next Executive Committee meeting is scheduled to take place from 9:30am until 5:30pm. There are ten public reports on the agenda, plus three private reports. Here’s what caught my eye:

IT Composite Profiles

This report provides an overview of the 2015-2018 IT composite profiles and funded IT investment initiatives. Here are some of the highlights:

• For 2015-2018, $73.2 million has been allocated to IT in five profiles, three for renewal and two for growth. This represents approximately 1.6% of the total approved capital budget.
• Additionally, IT funding of $31.6 million was approved for the Edmonton Police Service and $5.6 million was approved for the Edmonton Public Library.
• The IT Infrastructure Renewal profile “maintains over 15,000 devices, two petabytes of storage and 100 kilometers of network cable.”
• The total replacement value of IT infrastructure assets is $55 million.
• There are five key Enterprise Applications utilized across the City: POSSE, PeopleSoft, SAP, TACS, and Geospatial (SLIM and Microstation).
• The total replacement value of Enterprise Applications is $189 million.
• The City has a current inventory of 145 business unit applications with a replacement value of $132 million.

Progress updates will now be included in quarterly capital financial reports, the next of which will be presented to Council in June/July.

2016-2018 Financial Services and Utilities Department & Branch Business Plan

You may recall that all City branches and departments are going to be submitting updated business plans as part of the implementation plan for The Way Ahead. This one is for the Financial Services and Utilities branch which consists of five departments: Assessment and Taxation, Corporate Strategic Planning, Financial Services, Drainage Services, and Waste Management Services (business plans for the latter two will be presented at a future Utility Committee meeting).

The business plan serves three objectives, according to the report:

1. it is a decision-making tool to aid City Council during the 2016-2018 operating budget deliberations for the City of Edmonton
2. it is a tactical business planning tool for Administration to remain focused through future resource planning and allocation
3. the business plans set out the work each branch will carry out over the next three years showing the relationships to strategic priorities and expectations including performance measures

Based on feedback from Council, the City will further refine and finalize the business plans. The final plans will help in the development of the 2016-2018 Operating Budget.

Pattison Outdoor Advertising Outline Agreement

Last year, following an open RFP process, the City entered into a 10 year agreement (January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2024) with Pattison Outdoor Advertising for advertising space on the transit system. The agreement provides Pattison with the exclusive right to sell ad space on buses, LRTs, and transit centres.

The City needs to buy space for its own ads, and that has averaged $580,000 per year over the last three years. Administration intends to spend about $500,000 per year going forward, and the outline agreement is intended to provide “an efficient approach” that allows the City to negotiate for the best possible advertising rates.

Other

Here are a few notes on some of the other reports:

• There’s an update on the search for a new home for Greyhound’s Main Depot. Though honestly it’s not much of an update – basically the City is still working with Greyhound to identify a suitable location.
• The draft 104 Avenue Corridor Area Redevelopment Plan will be discussed by Council. “The majority of the implementation initiatives are to be advanced concurrently with LRT Design and Construction or in conjunction with private development.” The plan will go to a public hearing on June 22.
• There’s another potentially controversial zoning report, this time on addressing side setbacks for row housing on corner sites in mature neighbourhoods. The report identifies four options, all of which require “further consultation and refinement”.
• The Alberta Avenue 2014 Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements will be reviewed by Council.

The two private reports are a verbal update on the purchase and sale of land in the Quarters, the settlement of expropriation claims in Blatchford, and an update on the Vehicle for Hire program.

The following reports have been given revised due dates:

• Public Hearing Process – June 16
• High Quality Main Street Development Zoning Options – Q1 2016

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

The next Transportation Committee meeting takes place on Wednesday from 9:30am until 5:30pm. There are nine reports on the agenda, plus two responses to Councillor inquiries. This one is going to be interesting!

102 Avenue Bridge Replacement Project Update

Missed opportunity here, they should have called this report “Update on GirderGate!” There’s a lot of other information here, but that’s really want Council will want an update on.

Here’s where the project is at:

“The current status of the 102 Avenue project is that the girders now in place are currently being assessed. Until this review is complete the impacts to the project completion timeline are not fully known. The 3 week delay for stabilization of the girders to the project will impact the planned opening date however the exact delay is currently not known until completion of the girder assessments.”

The City has looked at some options to try to minimize the impact of project delays on commuting traffic and businesses:

• They considered a temporary lane reversal system along Stony Plain Road (3 lanes in direction of peak flow, 1 in the opposite direction) but as it would cost between $500,000 and $1 million, it is not being recommended.
• They are considering dedicated tow truck operations for the area, which could cost $500 to $1000 per day.
• Vacant lots west of 124 Street and north of Stony Plain Road could be leased by the City to offset parking meter bans. They applied for this, but a local business owner successfully filed an appeal, so this is on hold until at least August 2015.

We’ll have to wait for future updates to understand just how far back the opening date has to be pushed.

Low Income Transit Pass Pilot

This report provides an update on the potential for a low income transit pass. The Edmonton Transit Advisory Board recommended a $35.00 per month pass, which would replace the existing AISH pass. Here are the details of the City’s report:

• Applicants would need to be residents of Edmonton and would need to meet one of the following criteria: household income below the LICO figures, recent immigrants to Canada who have lived here for less than a year, children under government care, recipients of AISH.
• ETS estimates that a low income transit pass would result in sales of 19,000 and 20,000 per month, which includes the 4,800 AISH passes currently sold per month.
• ETS also estimates that total ridership would increase by 1 to 1.3 million trips per year. In total, low income pass purchasers are expected to make 9.5 million trips per year.
• Although revenue generated from new ridership is anticipated to be between $1.1 million and $1.4 million, it is offset by anticipated losses in revenue from existing riders paying less than they do now of between $3 million and $7.5 million, depending on the price of the low income pass.
• Full implementation of a pilot project would cost $1 million annually.
• At a 35% discount, the estimated tax levy impact would be $3.7 million. At a 50% discount, it would be $6.4 million. And at a 60% discount, it would be $8.5 million.

The report also touches on the work of EndPovertyEdmonton, and notes that it recognizes that “accessible, affordable transit plays a key role in ensuring all Edmontonians have equal access and opportunity to jobs, services and travel in our city.”

West Edmonton Mall Transit Centre Options

This report outlines options for temporary enhancement, refurbishment, or replacement of the West Edmonton Mall Transit Centre taking into consideration the Valley Line LRT expansion. Built in the early 1980s, the current transit centre building is “nearing the end of its useful life” and is “no longer able to adequately support the operational needs” of the transit centre.

Here’s an overview of the four options:

1. Temporary Enhancement – This option would include repairs and some replacements for things like doors, but would not change the look of the building. It would cost between $300,000 and $500,000 for the next four years, after which the building would need to be refurbished or replaced.
2. Refurbishment – This option would basically retain the bones but would give the building a modern look, complete with upgrades to major systems. This should extend the life of the building by 10-15 years but at a cost of $3 million.
3. Full Renewal – This option would demolish the existing building and replace it with a new one. The risk is that the Valley Line LRT is only in the preliminary design stages so things could change. The cost would be $4.4 million.
4. Modular Shelter – This option would demolish the existing building and replace it with a shelter similar to what is currently at the Jasper Place Transit Centre. The estimated life of the shelter would be 20-25 years and it could cost around $3 million.

The recommendation is to go with the Refurbishment option which the report says will provide better value than the full rebuild.

Other

The two responses to Councillor inquiries are as follows:

• Councillor Nickel made an inquiry in October 2014 about the 97 Street on-street bike route between 34 Avenue and 63 Avenue. The report states that since 2009, “73 kilometers of on-street bike routes have been constructed in Edmonton” which brings the total on-street network to 79 km. The report provides history and context, and also costs involved with relocating the 97 Street bike route.
• Councillor Gibbons made an inquiry in August 2013 about the potential of having bike lanes along utility corridors (power lines and pipelines). The report says that shared-use paths “are an important part of an integrated bicycle network along with on-street routes.”

Some of the other reports include:

• There are two reports related to bike lanes. One is on Performance Standards and Clear Measures for bike lanes, and the other is on the cost and feasibility of relocating the bike lane on 95 Avenue.
• A recommendation that the City enter into the second year of a contract with Burnco Rock Products Ltd. for the supply of asphaltic concrete for a total cost of $28,215,650 including GST.
• A recommendation that the City purchase a Vogele Paver from SMS Equipment for $528,000 plus GST. This is to replace an existing unit that is too old.
• Bylaw 16929 replaces the existing Edmonton Transit System Advisory Board bylaw with changes requested by the Board and aligns with the current format for bylaws establishing Council committees.

And a bunch of reports have been given revised due dates:

• Detailed Study of Residential Parking Issues & Options (Central McDougall, Oliver, Queen Mary Park) – May 6
• Business Case for Workspace Enhancements Westwood Garage Replacement – May 27
• Scona Road – Traffic Safety and Speed Mitigation Strategies – May 27
• Enforcement Practices – High Traffic Areas – June 29

Wrap-up

You can keep track of City Council on Twitter using the #yegcc hashtag, and you can listen to or watch any Council meeting live online.

With the Easter break behind us, Council is back in session next week.

Agendas for upcoming City Council meetings are generally released on Thursday afternoons. I like to take a look to see what Council will be discussing, and I figured I should share that here. Below you’ll find links to the meetings taking place next week, as well as links to and thoughts on some agenda items that caught my eye. You can find my previous roundups here.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Council will start the week with item 7.2 from the March 16 meeting, actually. Bylaw 17116 deals with elimination location-based restrictions for Garage and Garden Suites, and enables RF1 sites to be subdivided into narrower lots, as narrow as 7.6 metres wide.

After they have dealt with that item in the morning, they’ll begin the regularly scheduled public hearing at 1:30pm. Most of the bylaws deal with minor rezoning to allow for infill development. Here are a few of the items that I wanted to highlight:

Bylaw 17151 – Text Amendment to the Zoning Bylaw

This proposed amendment is intended to streamline the process for the development of paths and trails within the river valley by removing the requirement for a development permit for paths and trails that Council has deemed essential. The whole idea here is that the City and River Valley Alliance want to move forward with their plans for a connected river valley park, and they don’t want the process to be held up in permitting. There would still be “adequate environmental review” however.

Bylaw 17142 – Development of a public park in Kernohan

Can you ever have too many public parks? Not really! This bylaw would rezone the properties at 303, 311, and 551 Clareview Road NW from CS1 and CS2 to AP to allow for the development of a new public park. These properties were originally zoned for Public Parks (AP) but were set aside to support First Place development.

Bylaw 17148 – Closure of a portion of 153 Avenue NW

This bylaw will be considered along with Bylaw 17150 and proposes to close 153 Avenue NW east of 13 Street NW in Fraser. The closed area would be consolidated with the adjacent property to make way for single detached housing. There is a 153 Avenue realignment coming in October 2016, which is when the closure would take place.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Next up for Council is a regular City Council Meeting scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. There are 20 public reports, 8 bylaws, 2 motions pending, and 9 private reports on the agenda. It’s going to be a busy one! Here are a few highlights:

Make Something Edmonton Update

With this report, Council will receive an update on Make Something Edmonton. The key update is that the committee is now formalizing its approach to creating a community-led place brand. What does that mean?

“The activities and personalities of ‘makers’ inspired a set of statements of encouragement, or brand promises, that Make Something Edmonton believes truly represent the community identity of Edmonton.”

Basically all of the feel-good aspects of MSE are being written down and visualized in the hope that others will adopt some or all of it. Every Councillor has received a copy of the brand guidebook which “outlines how individuals and organizations can express the Edmonton brand in their own marketing and communications efforts.” For instance, with statements of encouragement:

I’ll have more on this in a separate post before next week’s meeting.

Edmonton Police Commission Recommendations on Unfunded Police Positions

This report is about an Edmonton Police Commission recommendation that the EPS Operating Budget be increased by $6.36 million, on an ongoing basis, to fund 40 FTEs for downtown revitalization. The source of funds is still to be determined.

You’ll recall that EPS had asked for 84 new positions during last year’s budget discussions, but Council agreed to fund only 35 of them. Now the Police Commission is back again with a focus on positions related to growth in the downtown area:

“The Edmonton Police Commission requests that City Council reconsider the proposal for these 40 positions during the setting of the mill rate.”

The report states that if the request is not reconsidered, the request will be brought back during the 2016-2018 budget process.

Impacts of the Bill 20 on the City of Edmonton

This report outlines the changes that are part of Bill 20, the Municipal Government Amendment Act, and the anticipated impacts on the City. Bill 20 received Royal Assent on March 30, at which time “the sections pertaining to City Charters and off-site levies came into force immediately.” Bill 20 is the first legislative piece of the ongoing MGA review, with additional amendments anticipated in the fall and the process continuing until the end of 2016.

The high level summary of impacts is as follows:

• “Bill 20 provides the Lieutenant Governor in Council the authority to, upon request of a City, establish a charter for that City by regulation.” The report states that a charter regulation for Edmonton is “not anticipated before Fall 2015 at the earliest.”
• “Bill 20 creates a mandatory requirement for Council to, by bylaw, prescribe a code of conduct for members of Council.”
• “Bill 20 clarifies that an off-site levy may be imposed once for each purpose specified in the Municipal Government Act, and confirms that developers may be required to pay for public utilities that are not located on the land under development but are necessary to service the development.”
• “Bill 20 creates a new requirement for Administration to ensure that, when information is provided to one councillor in response to an inquiry about the operation or administration of the City, the information must be provided to all members of council.”
• “The current Municipal Government Act provides the City Manager with 30 days following the receipt of a petition to report on the sufficiency of the petition to Council. Bill 20 will increase this time period to 45 days.”
• “The current Municipal Government Act prescribes specific requirements that must be followed when a bylaw or other City action must be advertised, such as placing advertisements in local newspapers. Bill 20 modernizes these advertising requirements by allowing the City to advertise on its website and allows the City to pass a bylaw prescribing alternate forms of advertising that are likely to ensure the advertised matter is brought to the attention of affected stakeholders.”

The overall reaction is that Bill 20 “supports City objectives” and that “no significant negative impacts are anticipated.”

Committee Reports

There are 14 Committee reports that were all recently discussed at one of the four committees and have been referred to Council with a recommendation for approval. A few that I wanted to highlight include:

• Lewis Farms Recreation Centre Land Acquisition – That Administration proceed with Option 2 for District Park Land Acquisition (which means negotiating with the developers to defer costs and repay over time) and Option 1 for District Park Base Level Development (which means negotiating a development partnership for the park with a developer).
• Aboriginal Day LIVE! Request for Support – That they be granted $100,000 to fund the concert and event, with funding to come from the 2015 Council Contingency.
• Electronic Cigarettes – This item was referred to Council without a recommendation, which means it’ll likely be a pretty interesting discussion.
• Fire Pit Enforcement Options – Same as the e-cig report.
• EPL Board Member Extensions – That Ellen Calabrese-Amrhein, Chair of the Edmonton Public Library Board, be granted an additional one-year term from May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016 to provide consistency during the transition to a new Executive Director.
• Canada Packers Smoke Stack – That it be designated a Municipal Historic Resource and that funding of up to $265,000 for rehabilitation of the Canada Packers Smoke Stack Reserve Fund be approved.
• Open City Policy – That policy C581, the Open City Policy, be approved.
• NAIT Line Transit Security – That the requested six Transit Peace Officers be funded for June to December 2015 and all of 2016, with funding from the 2015 tax levy, and that the issue return to Council for consideration when the mill rate is set.

Bylaws

There are 8 bylaws on the agenda. Here are two I wanted to highlight:

• Bylaw 17100 – This authorizes the City to undertake, construct, and finance the Downtown CRL projects and to increase borrowing authorization by $78,178,839. This is ready for second and third reading.
• Bylaw 17102 – This authorizes the City to borrow $304,186,000 to undertake, construct, and finance Sanitary and Stormwater Drainage projects. This is ready for second and third reading. The total cost of the projects is $536,976,000, which were approved as part of the 2015-2018 Capital Budget.

Private Reports

As mentioned there are 9 private reports on the agenda this time. Council will be receiving updates on:

• City Manager and City Auditor Performance Evaluations
• Civic Agency Appointment Recommendations
• Police Helicopter Information and Analysis
• Green Trip Funding Update
• Walterdale Bridge Replacement Project Update
• Inter-Municipal Update

Other

There are a couple of reports that are unavailable or that will be discussed verbally:

• 2015 Operating Budget Update
• Working Session – West Rossdale Redevelopment and the Rossdale Ballpark sites

There’s also an extensive report to support that working session.

There are two motions pending:

• Amendment to Bylaw 12408 – Non-Profit Community Organizations Exemption Bylaw (Councillor McKeen)
• Entrance Signs Removal (Councillor Oshry)

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

On Wednesday afternoon and evening the Audit Committee will meet. Here is what’s on the agenda:

Office of the City Auditor 2014 Annual Report

This report highlights the operating results and activities during 2014 for the Office of the City Auditor. It proudly notes that the City Manager agreed to take action on 100% of the recommendations made in the 2014 audit reports. The report lists 20 different projects that were completed last year.

In 2014, the Office of the City Auditor was named as a best practice audit function and a leader in performance auditing by the Institute of Internal Auditors Research Foundation. Only 11 municipalities in the US and Canada received the honor.

Looking ahead to 2015, the report states:

“In 2015, we will continue to focus our audits on promoting strong internal controls that result in secure, efficient, effective, and economical City operations and services. This will assist in providing assurance that taxpayer’s dollars and resources are protected and used appropriately.”

David Wiun is the current City Auditor and he is supported by a staff of 13 individuals.

Actual Numbers & Costing for the Automated Photo Enforcement Program

This report provides an up-to-date, all-in cost comparison of the estimated and actual costs of fully absorbing the Automated Photo Enforcement program into City operations from 2007 until 2014. Prior to 2007, the program was contracted out. As a result, 2007 is the benchmark year.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousands words, so here are the key charts:

And the key conclusion from the report:

“Instead of purchasing a commercial “off-the-shelf” application as assumed in 2007, a custom software solution had to be developed at a significantly higher cost. That cost was more than 200 percent higher than the cost projected in 2007.”

“We found that the current cost per violation is marginally lower than the expected cost in 2007. However, the program took six years to achieve an actual cost per violation that was lower than the last year of fully-outsourced operations.”

There is also this response from Administration to the report:

“In conclusion, the maturation of the program is producing benefits in 2014 that have exceeded the cost performance targets originally which were initially proposed in 2007 for 2008 operations. This confirms that the decision to bring the program in-house was sound and the benefits are greater than initially projected.”

Other

• City of Edmonton 2014 Consolidated Financial Statements – The report for this is not yet available, and Council approval is required. This is the first item of business.
• KPMG 2014 Audit Findings Report – This is the second item of business and again, Council approval is required.
• Proactive Audit Involvement in Capital Projects – This is a status report that looked at project management practices for the Rogers Place, Walterdale Bridge, Valley Line LRT Stage 1, and Alex Decoteau Park projects. “Overall we found that all four project teams are applying the 13 project management principles set out by the Project Management Institute.”
• Strategic Enterprise Risk Management – This is a big report that pulls together the strategic risk registers for The Way We Green, Grow, and Prosper (work had already been done for Move and Live). Four common risks include: local impacts of economic boom and bust, resourcing, decision-making not in alignment with strategic objectives, and ineffective collaboration with partners.

Wrap-up

You can keep track of City Council on Twitter using the #yegcc hashtag, and you can listen to or watch any Council meeting live online. You can read my previous coverage of the 2013-2017 City Council here.

It’s Committee week again and it looks like it’ll be a busy one with lots on the agenda.

Agendas for upcoming City Council meetings are generally released on Thursday afternoons. I like to take a look to see what Council will be discussing, and I figured I should share that here. Below you’ll find links to the meetings taking place next week, as well as links to and thoughts on some agenda items that caught my eye.

Monday, March 23, 2015

The week begins on Monday with a Community Services Committee meeting scheduled from 9:30am until 5:30pm. There are thirteen reports on the agenda, plus one response to an inquiry from Councillor Knack and one private report. Here’s what caught my eye:

Urban Beekeeping Pilot Project & Bylaw Changes

This report provides an overview of the pilot project on urban beekeeping and also recommends some bylaw changes for Council’s consideration. Here’s how the pilot went:

• Over 35 inquiries were made, but only 3 residential sites were setup. Timing and strict neighbour permission requirements are blamed for the low numbers.
• All 3 sites successfully complied with the provisions of the pilot.
• “The three pilot sites were managed by experienced beekeepers and conversations with enforcement staff were very positive.”
• Just one complaint was received from a citizen, and it was about a noticeable increase in bees. Research about how to reduce bee hive impacts on neighbours will be “incorporated into an ongoing education and awareness program.”
• Participants, neighbours, and community members were all surveyed – just one respondent indicated they did not support the idea of urban beekeeping.

A representative from Animal Control & Licensing met with the Edmonton Food Council, a meeting that I attended. We had a great discussion about the pilot and the proposed changes. The report says, “the Food Council supports the City to enabling implementation of urban beekeeping in a way that enhances the positives of beekeeping while minimizing the exposure of citizens to undue risk.”

Currently, the Animal Control & Licensing Bylaw prohibits citizens from keeping large animals (like Stampy I guess), poultry, bees, or poisonous snakes, reptiles, or insects, unless they have permission from the City Manager. The proposed amendments would allow those things if a citizen successfully obtains a license issue by the City Manager. This is not unlike needing to get a pet license for your dog or cat. The City could place terms and conditions on a license, such as the term, or the maximum number of animals that may be kept. They can investigate complaints and they can perform inspections. And of course, the license can be revoked at any time. The requirements are pretty straightforward:

• You need to be 18 years of age or older
• You need to pay any applicable fees
• You need to provide all required information

A license to keep bees is proposed to be free. To get a license, you’ll need to comply with the City’s Bee Site guidelines, you’ll need to register with the Province Apiculturist and comply with the Alberta Bee Act, and you’ll need to complete a recognized beekeeping course. Guidelines include:

• Hives can only be in the backyard, and must be at least 3 meters from a neighbouring fence line.
• You can only have one active hive in your yard, consisting of a bottom board and hive cover with no more than four supers.
• A fresh water source is required to minimize bees going to neighbouring properties.

This is really great to see – the guidelines are reasonable and approachable, the proposed process allows the City to take action when necessary, and the City is encouraging education and community around beekeeping.

I’m excited to see urban beekeeping moving ahead in Edmonton!

Electronic Cigarettes

Councillor Knack made an inquiry back in December about electronic cigarettes, seeking information about whether the current smoking bylaw is applicable or not. The report is very clear:

“The current City of Edmonton Smoking Bylaw does not apply to electronic cigarettes. This product does not contain tobacco and is not currently regulated under the Tobacco and Smoking Reduction Act or Public Places Bylaw 14614.”

There are no specific restrictions on the sale of e-cigarettes. Because they are relatively new, Health Canada has not fully evaluated them and generally advises Canadians against purchasing or using them. Because of that, e-cigarettes cannot be used in AHS facilities nor inside City facilities.

Fire Pit Enforcement Options

This one is a follow-up to the discussion that took place back in November. As directed, Administration has identified “mechanisms to protect citizens from extreme nuisance impacts of neighbourhood fire pits”. They came up with three:

• Existing Mechanisms – Rather than issue a $250 fine, officers could require a mandatory court appearance.
• Create a Subjective Nuisance Bylaw Provision within the Community Standards Bylaw
• Enhanced Responsive Services – This would require additional staff, and therefore, budget.

The first two would have no cost implications.

Other

Here are some of the other reports on the agenda:

• One report deals with the terms of reference for the new Gender Based Violence and Sexual Exploitation Prevention Council Initiative, which will be led by Councillors Esslinger and Sohi.
• Another report recommends that Council grant $100,000 from its 2015 Contingency fund to support the Aboriginal Day Live! Concert and Celebration event.
• There’s a recommendation at the City enter into annual sponsorship agreements with the World Triathlon Series Edmonton, to fund the even in Edmonton between 2015 and 2019 to the tune of $1.2 million a year.
• One report provides an update on enforcement of an amendment to the Animal Licensing & Control Bylaw that was made a year ago to deal with Nuisance Dogs. After the first year of operation, there are 67 licensed Nuisance Dogs, and of the 3600 total dog at large complaints the City received, 9 were for Nuisance Dogs.
• The Edmonton Historical Board and Edmonton’s Historian Laureate will present their 2014 Annual Report.
• There’s one private report on the agenda and it deals with information and analysis related to the Police Helicopter. It is the third time-specific item at 1:30pm and Council approval is required.
• A different report says that in 2014, 20% of the interactions EPS had were with non-residents.

Additionally, a bunch of reports have been given revised due dates, so get your calendar out and pencil in these dates if they’re of interest:

• Status of the Annualization & Unfunded Police Positions – April 14
• Comparison of Policing Costs – April 20
• Community League Collaboration – June 15
• Truth & Reconciliation Commemoration Update – June 29
• Fire Services – Employment Barriers Interim Report – June 29
• Options to setup a Multicultural Advisory Committee – October 26

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

On Tuesday, the next Executive Committee meeting is scheduled to take place from 9:30am until 5:30pm. There are twelve reports on the agenda, plus one response to an inquiry from Councillor Esslinger. Here’s what caught my eye:

City Council Policy on Open City Initiative

The recommendation here is that Council approve City Policy C581, the Open City Policy. “An open city is a connected city,” the report says. “Philosophically, an open city is connected and responsive to the goals and objectives of an informed and engaged public, who in turn are partners consulted in setting the goals and objectives of the city.”

The included draft policy incorporates the five most frequently occurring suggestions from respondents to an Edmonton Insight Community survey:

• Emphasis on citizen and community involvement in decision-making
• Embrace openness in all City employees’ and election officals’ actions
• Clarify how privacy will be protected
• Specify how the City will ensure all practices and processes will adhere to Open City Principles
• Use understandable language

The draft policy says that as an open city, “Edmonton will create opportunity for diverse input and participation, inviting Edmontonians to play a larger role in shaping the community and enabling social and economic growth.” The core commitments in the policy would have the City:

• Manage information and data assets as a strategic resource
• Ensure information and data are open by default and private where appropriate
• Expand opportunities to foster a collaborative environment and engage Edmontonians to ensure municipal activities reflect community values, priorities and standards
• Embrace technology and new business models to deliver services to Edmontonians
• Remove barriers to access and open up new possibilities for collaboration between Edmontonians and the City
• Work with other public and private sector organizations for the advancement of Open City principles

I can’t say that I’m thrilled with the second point (I’d rather see a separate point on privacy and not diminish the “open by default” commitment), but overall, I think this is a big step in the right direction. I expect Council will be happy with it too.

Update on Infill Progress

This report provides an update on the 23 actions identified in Edmonton’s Infill Roadmap. Here are the highlights:

• Three of the five communications actions have been completed, including work on the website and the development of the Good Neighbour Construction Guide.
• Three of the five collaboration actions have also been completed, including the Infill Tour and the Infill Planning Academy Course.
• One of the three knowledge actions has been completed – the creation of a document that provides a basic understanding of drainage services in Edmonton.
• Twp of the five rules actions have been completed (these deal with zoning changes).
• Two of the five process actions have been completed.

Northern/Circumpolar Initiatives Secretariat

Council is considering the formation of a Northern/Circumpolar Initiatives Secretariat that could help Edmonton “achieve significant progress in the Northern/Circumpolar region through supporting and building partnerships with northern communities.” EEDC was directed to develop a business plan for the initiative, which this report includes and summarizes.

The area of influence would be the Edmonton region, but also Whitehorse and Yellowknife. The hope is that Edmonton can form partnerships with northern communities around issues like health care, education, commerce, innovation, and community development.

The idea would be to formally create the Secretariat by the end of Q2 2015. The City, EEDC, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Alberta would provide funding and in-kind resources as partners in the initiative. Council has already approved a one-time package of $90,000 for 2015.

Other

Here are a few notes on some of the other reports:

• There’s an update on options to overhaul RF1-RF4 Low Density Zones. “Rezoning existing Single Detached Residential Zone (RF1) properties to alternative zoning would alleviate pressures for redevelopment in some neighbourhoods by opening up development opportunities in others.”
• The Canada Packers Smoke Stack located at 12403 Mount Lawn Road NW will likely be designated a Municipal Historic Resource with $265,000 in funding for rehabilitation.
• A report on addressing barriers to multi-unit family oriented development identified three regulatory barriers and says they are being examined as part of existing projects. Incredibly, a survey found that “there is a perception that the city prohibits provision of parking.” I wish!
• There’s a progress report on Building Permit and Inspection Services which notes the backlog of open permit files was 13,181 at the end of 2014, which is down 66% from the end of 2013. The audit recommends that the City “optimize the use of existing technology” and the report notes that some changes have been made already, such as automated email notifications and the use of GPS tracking for inspections.

The following reports have been given revised due dates:

• Port Alberta South Redevelopment Business Plan – April 21
• Bylaw 17138 – Naming Committee Bylaw – May 5
• Ceremonial Place West of Walterdale Bridge – May 5
• Bylaw Amendments for Parking Requirements – May 26
• Recreational Lake in Blatchford – May 26
• Independent Study on Edmonton’s Taxi Service Levels – Q1 2016

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The next Transportation Committee meeting takes place on Wednesday from 9:30am until 5:30pm. There are five reports on the agenda, as well as one response to an inquiry made by Mayor Iveson.

Cell Phone and Wi-Fi Coverage in LRT Stations and Tunnels

I don’t think there’s much new here, but the report provides an update on the inquiry that Mayor Iveson made about getting connected when you ride the LRT. The City is targeting Q4 2015 for service in the tunnels. They are currently discussing the implementation of “a single co-location solution” that would allow any service provider to “connect to a common carrier supported infrastructure”. So instead of every company installing hardware, one set of gear will be installed that all will share. Can’t wait to see this roll out!

Valley Line Stage 1 Environmental Impact Screening Assessment Update

This is a pretty big report with four attachments. The recommendation to Council is to approve the Environmental Impact Screening Assessment, to approve the list and locations of Major Facilities, and to approve the upgrades for the construction access route through the west side of Louise McKinney Park.

311 Calls – Snow & Ice Complaints

This report summarizes the process for managing 311 calls received for snow and ice control operations. Improvements for managing these calls have been made and more are planned. For instance, revised scripts reduced the ratio of calls being referred to Roadway Maintenance from 63% to 49%.

For the 2013-2014 season there was a total of 47,779 calls, and that decreased to just 22,186 in the 2014-2015 season. The report says that 82.7% of notifications are closed within 5 business days, which is an improvement from 53.8% last time.

You can see snow & ice maintenance calls into 311 using the 311 Data Explorer.

NAIT Line Transit Security

Since 2011, ETS says it has seen a 17% increase in security-related files due to rapid ridership growth “without a proportionate increase in Transit Peace Officer staffing levels.” In order to “maintain the reputation of Edmonton Transit as a safe, secure and welcoming system” with the activation of the Metro Line to NAIT another six Transit Peace Officers will be required.

The report also notes than the Metro Line presents “unique security challenges” due to its proximity to the downtown arena and entertainment district. And though the Transit and Police Partnership Team pilot project has been positive, it also demonstrated the need for more security as a total of 140 arrests, 450 warrant executions, and 329 ticket violations were generated in a five month period.

Alternatives to adding new Transit Peace Officers include sticking with the status quo, engaging police, or hiring private security. The cost for wages, benefits, equipment, and training for six Transit Peace Officers from June to December 2015 is $354,000 and $607,000 for 2016.

Other

The other reports include:

• An update on an open tender for the project to widen Whitemud Drive from 75 Street east to the TUC.
• Options for parking in the area of 66 Avenue and 88 Street, based on discussions with the Edmonton Christian Community Church and the Argyll Community League.

And a bunch of reports have been given revised due dates:

• West Edmonton Mall Transit Centre – Update Options – April 22
• Detailed Study of Residential Parking Issues & Options – May 6
• Joint Road Traffic Safety Strategy – May 27
• Safety Concerns – ETS – May 27
• Strategy for Park and Ride Location – June 17
• Century Park Site Park and Ride Options – June 17

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Executive Committee is meeting again on Thursday afternoon. There’s just one item on the agenda, and it’s a private, verbal report: Civic Agencies Recruitment – Applicant Interviews. This is a continuation of an ongoing item.

Wrap-up

You can keep track of City Council on Twitter using the #yegcc hashtag, and you can listen to or watch any Council meeting live online.

Agendas for upcoming City Council meetings are generally released on Thursday afternoons. I like to take a look to see what Council will be discussing, and I figured I should share that here. Below you’ll find links to the meetings taking place next week, as well as links to and thoughts on some agenda items that caught my eye. You can find my previous roundups here.

Monday, March 16, 2015

The week begins on Monday with a Public Hearing scheduled to last all day. There are 20 bylaws on the agenda. Here are some that caught my eye:

Bylaw 17011 – Adoption of The Decoteau ASP

You’ll recall that this bylaw was first considered at the February 9 meeting, where Council asked for some improvements. Here’s what has changed:

• The net residential density of the proposed ASP has increased from 30.6 to 34.0 dwelling units per hectare.
• An increase in the Business Employment designation is not being proposed as it would increase infrastructure costs, among other considerations. Administration says this can be further refined during the NSP phase.
• Mapping and policies related to wetland and natural areas have been verified as providing “an accurate representation of the ecological network proposed for retention.”

This bylaw is ready for second reading only – third reading is being withheld pending review by the Capital Region Board.

Bylaw 17116 – Amendment to the Zoning Bylaw re: Garage & Garden Suites

This bylaw is meant to eliminate restrictions for Garage and Garden Suites and to enable the subdivision of sites zoned RF1 to narrower lots not less than 7.6 meters wide. These two amendments were brought to Executive Committee back on November 12 and address two actions from Edmonton’s Infill Roadmap (pdf):

• Action 14: Create more and better opportunities for Garage and Garden Suites in established neighbourhoods by amending the Zoning Bylaw’s location criteria and Site regulations for these types of housing.
• Action 15: Change the (RF1) Single Detached Residential zone to allow the subdivision of properties into narrower lots that are half of the average width of the other lots on the block (but not less than 25ft wide)

There are currently restrictions on where Garage and Garden Suites can be located, on the height of those structures, and on the minimum site area. The proposed amendment addresses all of these restrictions.

The second proposed amendment will allow a minimum site width for single detached housing of 7.6 meters, decreases the minimum site area for single detached housing to 250.8 m2, increases allowable site coverage for narrow lot developments to 42%, and allows the subdivision of a lot zoned RF1 to a maximum of two lots.

Public input came from the Evolving Infill consultation efforts as well as a pilot project that took place in the Prince Charles neighbourhood. The report says that “more than 1000 residents and stakeholders took part in both Evolving Infill and Garage and Garden Suite consultation.”

Bylaw 17114 – To allow for the development of Public Education Services, Allard

This bylaw is to rezone the property located at 660 Allard Boulevard SW from AP to US to accommodate the development of a public elementary school. This is being done “in conformance with the Heritage Valley Servicing Concept Design Brief and the Allard Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan.” No concerns or questions were raised as a result of the advance notice.

Bylaw 17132 – Closure of portions of 101 Street NW, 100A Street NW

This bylaw is about road closures yes, but it’s really about repurposing Fire Station 21 in Rossdale:

“On July 3, 2013, City Council approved a Community Services Committee Report that recommended, in part, that the existing Fire Station 21 be repurposed to house an active river rescue crew, provide backup service to the downtown core, house specialized apparatus, be approved as a major facility within the River Valley, and that the location of the facility within the River Valley be deemed essential and approved pursuant to section 3.5.1 of the North Saskatchewan River Valley Area Development Plan Bylaw. This road closure application is a step in the ongoing progression to achieving these recommendations.”

Apparently the station is built over several lots and road right-of-way created by “Plan Q” way back in 1893.

Other

A few others I wanted to note:

• Bylaw 17111 is to allow a freestanding sign to be put up at 5315 127 Street NW to identify the new Eco Station.
• Bylaws 17070 and 17071 will be considered together, and amend the Maple NSP to designate land that was being used for a cell tower to row housing as the tower has been dismantled and is no longer in operation.
• Bylaw 17133 is an amendment to the zoning bylaw to reduce the required minimum Side Setback for garages in RF4 zoned areas from 0.9 meters to 0.6 meters, “specific to Garages where the vehicle doors face a Lane abutting the Site.” Currently constructing a detached garage for each unit of a semi-detached house would require a Class B discretionary development approval.

Tuesday & Wednesday, March 17/18, 2015

Next up for Council is a regular City Council Meeting scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. There are 14 public reports, 3 bylaws, and 3 private reports on the agenda.

Council Members’ Updates on Agency & Initiative Appointments

This report provides an update on the agencies and initiatives that the Councillors are members of. Here are some highlights:

• AUMA’s Executive Committee will be making its annual presentation to Council’s Executive Committee on March 24.
• The Chair and CEO of the Capital Region Board will also be presenting to Executive Committee on March 24. The CRB’s Regional Services Committee may be disbanded pending a report in August 2015.
• The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) will hold its annual conference in Edmonton from June 5-8. The mayor will host a reception in Churchill Square after the opening game of the FIFA Women’s World Cup on June 6.
• Edmonton will be the host city for the 2019 International Council on Alcohol, Drugs & Traffic Safety (ICADTS). The 7th Traffic Safety Conference takes place here in Edmonton from April 27-30.

Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy

This report presents a draft of the strategy and will be discussed in a facilitated session on Wednesday morning. So what is a Community Energy Transition Strategy?

“Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy is a risk management strategy designed to protect Edmonton’s quality-of-life (social, economic, environment) from climate and energy-related risks.”

“The strategy responds to City Council’s 10-year goal to be “the nation’s leader in setting and achieving the highest standards of environmental preservation and sustainability both in its own practices and by encouraging and enabling the practices of its partners.” Equally, it responds to Council-approved goals in The Way We Green and to corporate outcomes and measures that call for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in both City operations and the Edmonton community.”

Energy transition is about reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency and conservation, ensuring our energy systems are resilient to disturbances, and positioning Edmonton to take advantage of clean energy technologies. The strategy contains:

• A Diagnosis of the energy and climate challenges/opportunities we face globally and locally;
• Strategic Courses of Action for addressing these challenges/opportunities in coming decades;
• An Eight-Year Action Plan establishing the first step (2014-2017) and signaling the second step (2018-2021) of Edmonton’s energy transition journey.

The strategy calls energy transition “the golden opportunity of our age” and says that “few places are better positioned than Edmonton in terms of knowledge, experience, and financial capacity to lead and excel in this area.”

To say there’s a lot to digest here would be an understatement. There are 11 strategic actions, 7 opportunity areas, 45 focus areas, and 10 community scale programs. Targets include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2035 (compared to 2005 levels), reducing energy consumption by 25% per person by 2035 (compared to 2009 levels), and generating 10% of Edmonton’s energy locally by 2035.

By 2035, Edmonton’s Community Energy Transition Strategy is “expected to deliver a net present value of approximately $2.5 billion to citizens and community stakeholders.” The report argues that a City Policy is important to make this happen.

So, how much will it cost? Funding of $1.9 million a year is needed in 2016 and 2017 for startup initiatives. The programs beginning in 2018 would require another $27.5 million per year through 2021. No funding sources are identified in the report, but it does say that “additional federal, provincial, and municipal government funding will be needed to advance these initiatives.”

Communications Plan for LRT Funding Advocacy

The report isn’t available yet, but Council will be discussing how to advocate for funds for future LRT development. This item came up at the Transportation Services Committee back on February 25. As a reminder, there is roughly 32 km of the 69.7 km LRT Network Plan without funding.

Committee Reports

The Committee reports were all recently discussed at one of the four committees and have been referred to Council with a recommendation for approval. A few that I wanted to highlight include:

• Exemption from LEED Silver for Varscona Theatre – That the exemption to City Policy C532 be approved.
• Impact of the Alberta Wetlands Policy on City Wetlands – That the Mayor, on behalf of City Council, write a letter to the Province outlining the concerns expressed regarding the Alberta Wetlands Policy implementation.
• Request for Retroactive Municipal Tax Refunds – That the refunds totaling $73,061.48 including any associated penalties be refunded.
• ETS Fare Policy Revision for U-Pass – That the policy be replaced as outlined at this week’s Transportation Services Committee meeting.

Bylaws

As mentioned, there are three bylaws on the agenda:

• Bylaw 17005 is an amendment to the Procedures and Committees Bylaw 12300 to change the time for continuation of City Council meetings and Public Hearings. Currently they continue the next business day, but the amendment would allow Council to choose a time within the next three business days.
• Bylaw 17128 is to decrease the borrowing authority by $9.6 million to $12.3 million for the Aurum Energy Park. This is required to enable the City to recover the actual cost of the local improvement rather than the estimated cost.
• Bylaw 17101 increases borrowing for sidewalk reconstruction in the Hazeldean neighbourhood by $8,339 because the originally assessed area was short by 46 meters. This is a very small chunk of the $6.9 million project cost.

Private Reports

Council will receive three private reports: one is an intergovernmental update on the City Charter, and the other two deal with the performance evaluations for the City Manager and City Auditor. The 2014 performance evaluation results are time-specific at 1:30pm on Tuesday.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Another Community Services Committee meeting has been scheduled for Thursday morning, to allow Council to continue interviewing applicants for the Civic Agencies Recruitment effort.

Wrap-up

You can keep track of City Council on Twitter using the #yegcc hashtag, and you can listen to or watch any Council meeting live online. You can read my previous coverage of the 2013-2017 City Council here.