Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Public Comment period for City of Prince Rupert Annual Report ends June 22

Next week, the City of Prince Rupert's Chief Financial Officer Corrine Bomben will present the 2019 Annual Report, the once a year check up on the last twelve months of civic governance and message making.

Now available online, the 46 page document provides for messages from the Mayor and City Manager, a review of municipal government organization and Departmental Overviews.

This years review features five pages of goals that have been achieved, with another three pages of what goals remain to be completed along with a collection of photos from the 2019.

For the Mayor the theme of accomplishment from last year marks much of his message, along with a look at the first few months of 2020 and the arrival of the COVID pandemic and the city's approach and community response to it.

While we look back on this last year, we are grateful for what we were able to accomplish through the hard work of staff and partners in the community. We also want to thank residents for acting swiftly in response to the pandemic. The steps you took early on helped to protect your families, neighbours, friends, and the vulnerable in Prince Rupert. -- Mayor Lee Brain

City Manager Robert Long, likewise looks back at 2019 making note of the progress and the tremendous management team and steady hand of City Council members for the success of the last year.

This document reflects back on what was accomplished in 2019. The City of Prince Rupert continues to deliver on the Vision established over 5 years ago by the Council sitting at that time. Back then we were financially fragile and needing a long term strategy to strengthen our financial health. I am happy to report, as confirmed in this 2019 report, that we are in a much better position than 5 years ago and continue to improve. This in no small part is due to the tremendous management team the City is blessed with, many of which are home grown talent. Council’s steady hand on the tiller steering the organization towards the long term vision and trusting the staff to deliver innovative and functional outcomes has and continues to be a winning combination. -- City Manager Robert Long

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When it comes to the accomplishments the report provides for a thumbnail guide, though one with few details as to some of the themes that the City is showcasing from 2019.

Among the goals that the Report high lights, those that the city highlights include:

Obtained grant funding for treatment
Offset property tax rate with diversified revenues
Oversaw continue redevelopment & environmental compliance on Watson Island
Traffic Calming and Roadway improvements
Completed Redesign Rupert 2030 Vision with community partners
Finalized dam construction specifications and contract
Ordered a dual bay garbage truck with recycling capacity
Ensured continued access to Rushbrook
Recreation Facility improvements
Fire Department Industrial Training and Equipment upgrades
RCMP Policing and Service Statistics
Hosted Rogers Hometown
Water Quality Testing and Monitoring
Support for Local Business and Local Attraction and Retention

Infrastructure investment also makes for a graphical interpretation, with snapshots of paving, sewer and water projects and work at the Recreation Centre to name a few.



For 2020 and the years to come, the City's list of objectives includes:

Beginning work on the new cell at the local landfill
Continued work on the dam replacement, engineering for a water treatment facility and submarine line
Continue work towards the development of a new RCMP station
Continue advocacy for long term homelessness supports
Strategies around economic recovery post COVID-19
Continuation of Rupert's Landing Joint Waterfront project
McBride Sport Court Improvement project
Asset Management and Succession planning
Updating City Procedures and Bylaws, including Official Community Plan

The City also reviews the use of their mobile app project.



Among their notes on the use of the mobile platform by residents and visitors:

264 new downloads
7599 notification views1110 brochure views
866 news articles read
739 department calls

You can learn more about the App here.

The remaining thirty pages include a collection of financial information, the full listing of grants directed to community groups and other civic information.

You can review the full Annual Report for 2019 here.

Residents of the city can weigh in with comments or opinions to the city in the lead up to Monday night's presentation to Council, with the deadline for public contribution on the Annual Report set for 4:00 PM on Monday, June 22nd.

In past years, residents could also comment on the document as part of the Committee of the Whole process, which invites the public to speak to civic issues or concerns.

However, as we've seen since March, public engagement with Council is limited and the public has not been allowed to attend public meetings since the COVID-19 response measures went into place.

The details of the adjusted format for the Annual Report commenting can be found from the Notice to the Public posted to the City of Prince Rupert website.

The Committee of the Whole is proceeding in an adjusted format to abide by Ministerial orders and physical distancing guidelines. Those wishing to bring forward a comment on the Annual Report are invited to do so in the following manner: 

By email to the Corporate Administrator at rosamaria.miller@princerupert.ca, 
or By leaving a voice mail at 250-627-0963. 

As per regular Committee of the Whole procedure, your full name and address will be required. All issues must be received no later than 4:00 pm Monday, June 22nd. Submissions will be read aloud by the Corporate Administrator to Council during the Committee of the Whole.

For more notes related to City Council Discussion themes see our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.

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