February 25, 2009City Council Meeting HighlightsAuditor General tables 2008 Audit Reports: Volume 1Auditor General Alain Lalonde tabled the 2008 Audit Reports: Volume 1 that include audits of hospitality and other ethical matters, the parking function, the Building Code Services process for 215 Preston Street, IT capital expenditures and project prioritization and approval process, and an evaluation of the Fraud and Waste Hotline. City management agrees with most of the Auditor General’s recommendations and many of them have been or are are being implemented. A news release with more details about each audit is available here: News Release The complete reports with City management’s responses may be found at: 2008 Audit Reports Investigation of closed meetings concludesThe City’s Meeting Investigator has concluded that closed Ottawa City Council meetings held on December 19, 2008, January 6, 2009 and January14 and 15, 2009 followed the legislative requirements of the Municipal Act, 2001 and the City’s Procedure By-law, which goes beyond the requirements of the Act. As part of his investigation, the Meeting Investigator reviewed meeting records, including the agendas of all three Council meetings, minutes of open and closed parts of all Council meetings, Council dispositions, slides of presentations and correspondence between staff and elected representatives. Interviews were also held with eight councillors and five staff members over a three-day period. The Meeting Investigator provided recommendations to further improve transparency and accountability of closed meetings, including enhancements to minutes of the meetings, motions to resolve in camera, and rising and reporting after a closed session. The report’s recommendations have been referred to the Mid-term Governance Review for action. New Parkland Dedication By-law approvedA new Parkland Dedication By-law will govern how much parkland or cash-in-lieu of parkland is dedicated through the land development process. The new by-law will replace the parkland dedication by-laws of various former municipalities and will harmonize how parkland dedication is handled across the city. As required under the Planning Act, the Parkland Dedication By-law clarifies how much parkland is required for different types of development, the land uses that should be exempted from parkland dedication and when cash-in-lieu of parkland is required, when it is paid and how it is collected across the city. In approving the by-law, Council also agreed that 60 per cent of all cash-in-lieu of parkland payments made in a ward should be dedicated to park projects in that ward, and that the balance should contribute to those that serve multiple wards or the city as a whole. Interim property tax and due dates approvedThe interim property tax bill for 2009 was set at 50 per cent of the 2008 adjusted tax billing and is due on March 30, 2009. The final tax bill is due June 18, 2009. The penalty and interest charge on overdue and unpaid tax arrears remains unchanged from 2008 at 1.25% per month. Kanata North Recreation Centre moves closer to realityResidents of Kanata North can look forward to a major new recreation complex after City Council approved a plan to build a $43-million dollar facility in partnership with the YM-YWCA. The approximately 90,000-sq.-ft. facility will act as a new hub for physical activity and recreation in Kanata and will be LEED Gold-certified, reflecting a high standard of energy efficiency and sustainability. The Kanata North Recreation Centre will fulfil a longstanding need for a major recreation complex in the area and will be built using development fees collected from years of growth in Kanata. Neighbourhoods to be focus of community fundingThe focus will be on neighbourhoods when the City allocates its community project funding this year. Council agreed to a plan to focus on projects that will improve neighbourhood health and safety, especially for children, youth, seniors and residents with low incomes. A fund of $542,000 has been set aside for community projects in 2009. Applications for non-renewable funding are due by mid-April. Council also learned about Crime Prevention Ottawa’s priorities for its 2009 one-time funding. The emphasis will be on projects that attack the root causes of crime, help to prevent crime or improve community safety. City confirms policy on seeking legal costsCouncil confirmed its policy in cases where it has incurred legal costs in successfully defending itself before administrative tribunals and courts, of not seeking costs from community and resident public interest groups unless the case can reasonably be considered frivolous, vexatious, in bad faith or an abuse of process. The policy also applies to individuals acting as public interest litigants and requires that community or resident groups challenging the City in court also be asked to confirm that they will similarly not seek costs against the City unless the City has brought a case that can reasonably be considered frivolous, vexatious, in bad faith or an abuse of process. Improved Ottawa Option to bring greater competition and better resultsCouncil approved revisions to the Ottawa Option Policy that allows private sector parties to approach the City with unsolicited proposals outside of the normal procurement process. Such proposals must be in the best interests of the City, not circumvent the City’s purchasing by-law and not be similar to a current or upcoming competitive procurement. Staff were asked to review the policy, including an analysis of any weaknesses, as well as options to determine how to make it easier for businesses to bring forward innovative and cost-saving proposals. The revised policy implements the following improvements:
Plumbing Contractors and Master Plumbers By-law repealedThe Plumbing Contractors and Master Plumbers by-law that required applicants to take a qualification exam for a Master Plumbers Licence in the former Gloucester, Vanier, Nepean, Ottawa, and Goulbourn has been repealed. Under recent changes to the Municipal Act, 2001, municipalities are prohibited from imposing conditions on an applicant or licensee that would require an individual to complete an exam to obtain a City-issued certificate to perform plumbing work or act as a plumbing supervisor. The Province of Ontario certifies plumber qualifications through its apprenticeship programs. International Women’s Day March 8, 2009Council declared March 8, 2009 International Women’s Day in the City of Ottawa. Other items of interestCity employees raise $576,818 for United WayCity employees raised $576,818 during the 2008 United Way/Centraide Campaign co-chaired by Councillor Jan Harder and Deputy City Manager Nancy Schepers. Michael Allen, United Way President and Chief Executive Officer, thanked the co-chairs and City employees for their hard work and generous contributions. City Manager Kent Kirkpatrick presented Councillor Harder and Ms. Schepers with leadership awards. 2010 marks 150th Anniversary of OrléansThe City has proclaimed 2010 as the year to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of the St-Joseph d’Orléans parish. Orléans was one of the first French-Canadian villages east of Bytown, then the capital of Canada.During the past 150 years, it has kept its French character and the parish has become the largest in the Catholic diocese of Ottawa. Although the first homes were built on the southern shores of the Ottawa River, the village developed along Montreal Road. The theme of the celebrations, led by Monsignor Peter Schonenbach and a committee of community members, is “Let us be proud of the past, celebrate the present and prepare for the future.” Special events have been planned throughout next year, including an opening ball at St-Joseph Parish Hall, a re-enactment of the arrival of Monsignor Guigues on the shores of the Ottawa River in 1860, exhibition of artwork by local artists, a play by the Théâtre du Village at the Shenkman Art Centre and a talent show by students from Béatrice-Desloges school |
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