CITY OF VANCOUVER

REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON
CITY SERVICES AND BUDGETS

MARCH 9, 2000

A Regular Meeting of the Council of the City of Vancouver was held on Thursday, March 9, 2000, at 10:25 a.m., in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall, following the Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets meeting, to consider the recommendations of the Committee.

PRESENT:	Mayor Philip Owen Councillor Fred Bass Councillor Jennifer Clarke Councillor Lynne Kennedy Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Tim Louis Councillor Sandy McCormick Councillor George Puil Councillor Sam Sullivan
ABSENT:	Councillor Don Lee (Civic Business) Councillor Gordon Price (Leave of Absence)
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE:	Judy Rogers, City Manager
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE:	Tarja Tuominen, Meeting Coordinator

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Puil,
SECONDED by Cllr. Clarke,

THAT this Council resolve itself into Committee of the Whole, Mayor Owen in the chair.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

CITY MANAGER’S ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS

1. Award of Proposal No. PS99046

Light Duty Vehicles - Brand Standardization File: 1805/RTS: 1314

February 23, 2000

At its meeting on March 7, 2000, Council had for consideration the Administrative Report, dated February 23, 2000. However, upon receipt of a delegation request from CUPE 1004, Council referred consideration of the report to the Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets meeting of March 9 to allow the delegation to be heard. Subsequent to the Council meeting, the delegation request was withdrawn.

MOVED by Cllr. Louis,
A. THAT Council accept the proposal meeting all requirements from Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited for a three (3) year period for the supply of light duty vehicles subject to a contract satisfactory to the Director of Legal Services.

B. THAT Council approve the purchase of an initial 77 light duty replacement vehicles at an estimated cost of $1,778,019 plus the Provincial Sales Tax, the 7% Goods and Services Tax (less any municipal rebate received), and the Provincial Environment Levy.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Report of Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
March 9, 2000

Council considered the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in the following clauses of the attached report:

Cl.1: BOD/TSS/Flow Charges for Industrial Users
Cl.2: 2000 Property Tax Options: Three-Year Land Averaging for Property Tax Calculations
Cl.3: Information Technology Long-Term Financing Plan Update
Cl.4: SAP Sustainment Plan
Cl.5: Information Technology Infrastructure - 1999/2000 Expansion

and Replacement Program

Clauses 1 and 2
MOVED by Cllr.Puil,

THAT the recommendations of the Committee, as contained in Clauses 1 and 2 of this report, be approved.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Clauses 3 to 5

The reports have been rescheduled for the Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets meeting of March 30, 2000.

RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Puil,

THAT the Committee of the Whole rise and report.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Puil,
SECONDED by Cllr. Clarke,

THAT the report of the Committee of the Whole be adopted.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

ENQUIRIES AND OTHER MATTERS

1. Leave of Absence - Mayor Owen

MOVED by Cllr. Kennedy,
SECONDED by Cllr. Puil,
THAT Mayor Owen be granted Leave of Absence for Civic Business for the afternoon of March 9, 2000.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

2. Encorp Pacific (Canada) Recycling Charges

Councillor Kennedy reported on a UBCM bulletin advising the non-alcoholic segment of the beverage container industry has instituted extra fees on top of the refundable deposit paid by consumers as part of B.C.’s beverage container recycling program. These ‘eco-fees’ could undermine consumer support for the deposit-refund system; impose a new fee on the consumer by industry; and undermine consumer confidence in recycling programs undertaken by local communities and the province. Encorp Pacific (Canada), the non-profit company set up by the beverage industry to recycle containers, has not consulted municipalities and has made an unilateral decision to institute the fees.

MOVED by Cllr. Kennedy,
SECONDED by Cllr. Puil,
THAT the Mayor, on behalf of Council, send a letter to the Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks expressing concern with Encorp Pacific (Canada)’s lack of consultation with municipalities on instituting extra ‘eco-fees’ on beverage containers and requesting the Province to stop the imposition of the additional fees.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

3. Leave of Absence - Councillor Clarke

MOVED by Cllr. Puil,
SECONDED by Cllr. Clarke,
THAT Councillor Clarke be granted Leave of Absence for Civic Business for the afternoon of March 9, 2000.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The Council adjourned at 10:30 a.m.

- - - - -

REPORT TO COUNCIL

STANDING COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL
ON CITY SERVICES AND BUDGETS

MARCH 9, 2000

A Regular Meeting of the Standing Committee of Council on City Services and Budgets was held on Thursday, March 9, 2000, at 9:30 a.m., in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall.

PRESENT:	Councillor George Puil, Chair Mayor Philip Owen Councillor Fred Bass Councillor Jennifer Clarke, Vice-Chair Councillor Lynne Kennedy Councillor Daniel Lee Councillor Tim Louis Councillor Sandy McCormick Councillor Sam Sullivan
ABSENT:	Councillor Don Lee (Civic Business) Councillor Gordon Price (Leave of Absence)
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE:	Judy Rogers, City Manager
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE:	Tarja Tuominen, Meeting Coordinator

ADOPTION OF MINUTES

The Minutes of the Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets meeting of February 17, 2000, were adopted.

RECOMMENDATION

1. BOD/TSS/Flow Charges for Industrial Users File: 1755

The Committee had before it an Administrative Report, dated February 16, 2000, in which the General Manager of Engineering Services, General Manager of Community Services and General Manager of Corporate Services recommended a rate structure and implementation schedule for setting Biochemical Oxygen Demand/Total Suspended Solids/Flow (BOD/TSS/Flow) charges for permitted industrial sewer users.

Clause No. 1 (cont’d)

Neal Carley, representing the Industrial Permittee Group, thanked staff for the consultative process to determine the appropriate pricing model for BOD/TSS/flow charges. The Industrial Permittee Group is in support of the City’s pricing model over the GVRD model. However, the Group has a concern that the data by which fees are calculated are one to two years out. Because of the lag time, industries may not see a benefit in reduced fees for up to two years.

Doug Roberts, Manager, Environmental Protection, acknowledged the regional rate is not established until March. Staff have to use data captured in the previous year, but probably can get the lag time down to 6 months.

Lee Crowley, Avalon Dairy, explained it is impossible for the dairy industry to meet the GVRD’s oil and grease specifications. Mr. Crowley also pointed out milk fats stay in suspension and Avalon Dairy is penalized for its water consumption as it washes its bottles. Mr. Crowley expressed concern that because of Avalon Dairy’s difficulty in meeting the specifications, the City will begin enforcement and the Dairy will receive bad publicity for non-compliance.

Mr. Roberts and Christina Jacobs, Source Control, GVRD, responded to questions on the dairy industry’s concerns with meeting the oil and grease specifications. Ms. Jacobs advised the GVRD is working with the dairy industry to review the standards.

The following motion by Councillor Clarke was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,

RECOMMENDED

A. THAT Council approve implementation of Biochemical Oxygen Demand/Total Suspended Solids/Flow(BOD/TSS/Flow) charges for permitted industrial sewer users based on the rate structure formulated by City staff and subject to Council approval of a blending of Class 5 and Class 6 tax rates.

B. THAT 50% of the proposed annual BOD/TSS/Flow charges be collected for 2000 and 100% for 2001.

C. THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to prepare the necessary By-law to implement the BOD/TSS/Flow charges.

Clause No. 1 (cont’d)

D. THAT enforcement be withheld against Avalon Dairy until the GVRD review is complete and Avalon Dairy pay the 2000 BOD/TSS/Flow charges.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

2. 2000 Property Tax Options: Three-Year Land Averaging

for Property Tax Calculations File: 1551

The Committee had before it a Policy Report, dated February 28, 2000, in which the General Manager of Corporate Services/Director of Finance recommended the continuation of using three-year land averaging, compared to the traditional taxation system based on market assessment value, in calculating 2000 property taxes for residential (Class 01) and business/other (Class 06) properties.

Ken Bayne, Director of Financial Planning & Treasury, briefly reviewed the Report recommendations.

The following motion by Councillor Louis was put and carried. The Committee, therefore,

RECOMMENDED

A. THAT Council approve the continuation of three-year land value averaging as the 2000 property tax calculation methodology for the residential (Class 1) and business/other (Class 6) properties as discussed in the Policy Report, dated February 28, 2000, and that the property taxes for all other classes (Classes 2, 4, 5, 8 and 9) be calculated using market assessed values.

B. THAT the Directors of Finance and Legal Services be instructed to submit a by-law to Council, for approval before March 31, 2000, which sets out the particulars of averaging in accordance with the provisions of the Vancouver Charter.

C. THAT Council instruct the Director of Finance to make appropriate arrangements with the BC Assessment Authority for the production of an averaged 2000 taxation roll, at an approximate cost of $20,000; source of funding to be the 2000 Operating Budget.

Clause No. 2 (cont’d)

D. THAT the Director of Finance be authorised to place the required advertisements in a local newspaper notifying the City’s taxpayers of Council’s intent to implement three-year land averaging and showing the effects of averaging on sample properties within the City.

- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The following reports have been rescheduled for the Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets meeting of March 30, 2000.

3. Information Technology Long-Term Financing Plan Update File: 1186

4. SAP Sustainment Plan File: 1186

5. Information Technology Infrastructure - 1999/2000 Expansion

and Replacement Program File: 1186

The Committee adjourned at 10:25 a.m.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver