Prince Rupert City Council broke in a brand new look this week, leaving behind the days of scratchy phone lines, distracting ambient noise and a lonely Mayor and Corporate Administrator in an empty room, shifting to a Zoom Room gathering.
A debut which while suffering an occasional glitch or two, seemed to go well and appears to have made a larger number of Council members more inclined towards contributing on the night.
The move to video comes as an additional municipal response to COVID related gathering regulations, and will be the new model for Council meetings it appears for the near future.
As for the work on the night, Monday provided for the first glimpse of the 2021 Budget Process with a presentation from the City's Chief Financial Officer Corinne Bomben.
Council members also tackled two property variance requests and a request for a letter of support towards a Northwest Detox centre, as well the Council members released the names of appointees for two community boards.
Some background on the work of Council for the night can be reviewed from the Regular Agenda package for the March 8th session here.
Council also hosted a Closed Session earlier in the evening, the fifth such in camera gathering of the year attached to a regular council night, the details related to the decision to go behind closed doors can be viewed here.
Further information from our overview and placement in the video archive can be found below, with the permanent record of the council minutes added as they are posted to the city website.
In attendance Monday, March 8, 2021
Mayor Lee Brain -- Present by Zoom
Councillor Nick Adey -- Present by Zoom
Councillor Barry Cunningham -- Present by Zoom
Councillor Blair Mirau -- Present by Zoom
Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven -- Present by Zoom
Councillor Wade Niesh -- Present by Zoom
Councillor Gurvinder Randhawa -- Present by Zoom
Video Archive for Monday, March 8, 2021
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Regular Council Session(0:00-1:30) Regular City Council Session for Monday, March 8, 2021 -- Mayor Brain called the Regular Council session to order making note of the new Zoom format for meetings, from there Council adopted minutes of previous meetings and the agenda. There was one revision on the night, with the mayor advising item 5C (pertaining to a proposed Micro-Hotel development on Park Avenue) had been withdrawn by the proponent)
(1:30--17:00) Budget Presentation -- The City's Financial Officer Corinne Bomben delivered the 2021 City Budget, Ms. Bomben took Council through the steps of the budget process, noting of the services and challenges that make for the scope of the day to day work of the City. As well she observed of the 150 full time civic workers and the near 100 casual workers who are part of the civic workforce.
From the challenges files, the COVID pandemic and the unusual weather which has resulted in extended water advisories were highlighted by the CFO.
Ms. Bomben then outlined the nature of the various civic funds and how they work, noting of such items as the Woodworth Dam and the new landfill cell, as well as ongoing design work for the water treatment facility planning and the replacement of the RCMP detachment, both delayed she stated by the pandemic.
The CFO also highlighted the work planned for the revitalization of the waterfront by Kwinitsa, including work planned for the CN station and plans for the new Ferry Dock, as well as a range of other capital projects planned.
As for 2021 there are no expansion plans for civic services, with civic contractual wages and benefits and RCMP contract increases offset through operational savings mostly at the Recreation Centre and Airport ferry as well last through temporary staff attrition and other operationsl savings.
As for COVID related losses, they will be mitigated through funding from the province, as well as new taxes from expansion and new industrial builds which have brought in new taxation added.
All of those elements contributed to the declaration of a budget surplus and with that no increase to the residential mill rate. There is apparently enough of a surplus 850,000 dollars, that the CFO has proposed that it be put towards a reserve fund for future capital replacement and renewal needs that will help address the infrastructure deficit in the community.
As part of the presentation, Ms. Bobmen also took Council and taxpayers through the paces on how the mill rate works and how it impacts on civic taxes, noting of consecutive decreases of the mill rate over the last seven years. She also relayed some information on tax deferral and home owner grant programs.
As well, the CFO highlighted a change to the Home Owner grant process, which requires applying for the grant from the province now, before the tax payment deadline of July 2nd, with the CFO adding that homeowners can no longer apply for the grant through their municipal tax notice.
To wrap up her presentation, Ms. Bomben noted that the budget documentation would be available on line, with print copies available at the Public Library and at City Hall. Towards engagement, with public health measures still in place, the consultation process will take place by way of email, with residents asked to address their comments or questions directed to the Finance office prior to the March 22nd and April 12th, with those contributions to be read out and answered if required at the meetings of those nights.
The CFO also outlined a new budget simulation program for residents to make use of, allowing them to adjust the budget according to what they believe are priorities, with the result providing the user with a glimpse at how budgets are created. The simulation available at the city website will remain active until April 13th.
( 17:00 -- 37:00 ) For comments and observations, Mayor Lee Brain led the council off, thanking the CFO and her staff for their work on the budget preparation, noting how much has changed since they began the journey six years ago, highlighting the surplus and the ability to hold off on any tax increases for another year.
Around the Zoom Screen, Councillor Randhawa led off the discussion, paying his tributes to the staff for their work and noting of the challenges that faced the community in the last year.
Councillor Mirau echoed those comments and called attention to the importance of the 850,000 dollars proposed for capital reserves, which the Councillor observed will provide for a sustained effort to address uncertainty and address infrastructure and asset management goals.
He also hailed the introduction of the budget simulation project which he described as a huge step forward towards being as open as possible on how taxes are spent and will give community members a good sense of where the community priorities may be.
Councillor Adey expressed his admiration to staff towards their work and then posed a question related to community engagement, seeking clarity on other avenues of communicating public feedback on the budget and presenting the results of any engagement.
Ms. Bomben reinforced that printed copies of the financial plan will be available, noting that residents can email questions or call city hall, as well as access information through the internet.
In a follow up the Councillor asked what kind of information relay may be in mind towards the changes to the Home owner grant process.
In reply, Ms. Bomben noted that it will be placed on the city website and is available on the provincial website, as well as a print reminder to be delivered through the arrival of the city tax bills, as well the city plans to provide for reminders through the upcoming Council Sessions.
The CFO also advised that the city will be receiving updates from the province as to who has actually applied for the grant which will then be uploaded into their system, though she reinforced that the application for the grants should be done with time in mind towards the deadline of July 2nd.
Councillor Niesh noted that it is a big difference since six years ago and hailed the work of staff under the circumstances of COVID, he also made note of the assistance that the provincial funding for a COVID restart will provide towards some of the city's financial challenges.
The Councillor also made note of the change to the Homeowner Grant process and what residents need to be aware of. Mr. Niesh also expressed some enthusiasm for the Budget simulation program that residents can make use of and how it's a chance for people in the coffee shops to show Council how they should spend money.
Councillor Cunningham joined in on the praise of staff and the work they did on the budget, noting how achieving status quo is an accomplishment for the city, he too was looking forward to seeing how the community makes use of the simulation program. He also hailed the budget surplus and putting the money into asset management will be a legacy for future councils. He also observed that he would do his best to share word of the Home Owner grant changes.
Councillor Skelton-Morven noted that the budget was delivered on International Women's Day and paid his tributes to the 'rock star women on our staff' hailing the progressive and forward thinking ways that they have addressed the financial needs of the city. He also noted the ability to deliver another year of no tax increases for the community.
The Councillor also took a moment to speak towards staff salaries, noting of social media chatter and how the headlines that are published out of context on salaries and outlined how he views the way to maintain some of the best staff in the country means that the city needs to compensate them fairly, something which he called super, super importmant.
Mr. Skelton-Morven also suggested that it is unfair to compare Prince Rupert staff members with communities of equal size; observing that Prince Rupert has many more elements to consider such as export-import operations, telecommunications company with multiple municipal enterprises and counting.
He also reinforced how municipal staff is supportive of the community and that he believes that they need to be compensated fairly for the work that they do.
Mayor Brain brought the discussion to a close noting that the first public consultation will be part of the March 22nd council session, with the public to contribute their comments by email by 4PM that day.
You can learn more about the Budget simulation process from our preview of how it will work from Tuesday.
( 37:00 -- 54:00 ) Report from Planning -- A review of an application for a variance permit for a property on 7th Avenue East, Chris Buchan from the city's contract planners a iPlan, outlined the background to the variance request and the nature of the one letter of concern delivered to the city by a neighbour, which the planner noted Council may wish to review towards considering a rejection of the application.
A full discussion took place with many of the Council members noting that they had viewed the property and explored the issues personally, among them were Councillor Niesh who also had some concerns over the variance request based on the objections of the neighbour suggesting it be rejected.
Councillor Adey also has some hesitations toward the proposed variance and observed that there was need for more clarification.
Councillor Cunningham also spoke against approving the variance, noting how the quality of life for the neighbour would be nil, suggesting that as the proponents of the work have plenty of property to work and how the property owners should revise their plans.
Councillor Skelton-Morven asked if there was an option to defer the application, though that was a suggestion rejected by many of the council members, with Councillor Cunningham noting that if Council rejects the variance, the proponents could always come back with a new proposal under the proper guidelines.
With a bit more discussion and a bit of confusion on the theme, council then voted against the variance request.
( 53:00 -- 55:00 ) Report from Planning -- A variance request for a property on Eight Avenue East -- Council members had no comments on the application, sending it to the public notification stage.
( 55:00-- 56:30 ) Budget Presentation -- With the actual presentation of the budget taking place earlier in the evening, Council now moved forward with the Mayor once again urging the community to participate in the options available to provide feedback.
( 55:00-- 56:30 ) Announcements from Closed Meetings -- Microphone issues made it hard to hear from the Corporate Administrator, though the details of the announcements were released previous in the Agenda. Towards the appointments for the Library Board have been assigned to Chris Armstrong and Chelsea Keyes; while Alison O'Toole and Margaret Cavin were appointed to the Performing Arts Board.
( 56:30 --58:00 ) Correspondences for Council -- Mayor Brain outlined the request for a letter of support from Council for the Northern First Nations Alliance which is seeking for a study to bring a Detox centre to the Northwest region, with the Mayor observing that the location has not been designated yet. With no discussion and no opposition, the request for a letter will move forward.
( 58:00-- 59:30 ) Ms. Miller called attention to a procedural requirement towards the Budget presentation process, with Council reviewing the topic one more time.
( 59:30 -- 1:12:00 ) Questions, Comments, Reports or Inquiries from Council
Councillor Adey raised some questions on the nature of the work that was done on the Moresby Tanks and the status of any plans for remediation work on the Park avenue side to return it to resemble more of a trail as opposed to a construction road. The City Manager noted that would be looked into.
Mr. Adey also called attention to some degradation of the embankment in that Moresby Avenue area and asked that someone investigate the situation to see if there is any thing that needs to be addressed.
Councillor Mirau spoke to International Women's Day, hailing the work of senior staff and noting of the absence of female members on City Council, he then offered up the opportunity for any women interested in politics to contact him for encouragement, or to answer questions related to the challenges and time involved when it comes to serving on Council.
Councillor Cunningham once again noted that Council should put together an Advisory Council on Medical Services, suggesting that they put it on the Agenda for a future meeting. The Mayor observed that he and the Councillor could work together towards that.
Councillor Skelton-Morven also spoke to theme of a lack of female membership, offering his services as well towards providing answers to any questions that women may have if considering an entry into municipal politics. He also spoke to the current Challenges of COVID and how there are still supports for residents if required in the community.
Councillor Niesh raised some concerns when it comes to the city's road line painting program, expressing his concerns over the quality of work and the quality of the paint being used, adding how he believes that this year the line painting program should be moved to later in the year to provide for more longevity for the work that is done.
Councillor Cunningham took the topic a bit further expressing some disappointment in the work of the most recent contractors, suggested that the city investigate finding a new contractor or returning the program back to the city operations staff. Noting that there are safety issues at hand with some of the diminished quality of the lines on the city streets.
The Mayor observed that the Operations team would investigate the situation and report back to council.
Councillor Randhawa asked if there was any plan to fix potholes in the immediate future, the Mayor advised that the city would have to wait for the freeze/thaw season to end before deciding on where that work would take place.
With no other comments or inquiries, the Council session came to a close
You can access our archive on the City Council session here, where a number of items regarding the Council session, including links to local media coverage can also be found.
As always, our Council Timeline is only a reflection of our observations from the Council Session of the night. Be sure to consult with the official minutes from the City, when posted to their website for further review.
Official minutes of the Regular Council Session from March 8, 2021
(not available yet)
The next City Council session will take place on Monday, March 22, 2021
Cross posted from the North Coast Review.
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