Committee Recommendations Approved at Nov. 23 Burlington Council Meeting

At the Nov. 23 Burlington Council meeting, numerous recommendations were approved from the October cycle of committee meetings. Below are some of the highlights split up by committee.Click this link to go through the full post-meeting minutes for all recommendations that were approved at the:

• Nov. 3 Special Council meeting: Post-Meeting Minutes - Special Meeting of Council_Nov03_2021;
• Nov. 10 Special Council meeting: Post-Meeting Minutes - Special Meeting of Council_Nov10_2021;
• Nov. 30 Special Council meeting: Post-Meeting Minutes - Special Meeting of Council_Nov30_2021; and
• Nov. 23 Regular Council meeting: Post-Meeting Minutes - Regular Meeting of Council_Nov23_2021.

Minutes from the Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability (CSSRA) Committee; Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services (EICS) Committee; and Community Planning, Regulation & Mobility (CPRM) Committee meetings can be found under the “Related Links” header at the end of this post.There was also a separate post for City Council approving:

• Amendments Made to Burlington’s Temporary Mask & Physical Distancing Bylaws
• City Council Approves 2021 Asset Management Plan: Renews Commitment to Community Vitality, Growth & High Quality of Life

HIGHLIGHTS:CPRM COMMITTEE (Nov. 9)

• Post-Meeting Minutes - CPRM Committee_Nov09_2021

• 90-MINUTE WAIVED PARKING FEES UPDATE — Transportation Services Department report.Motion:

Direct staff to cease the 90-minute waived parking fees pilot program and reinstate paid hourly parking within the downtown, effective December 1, 2021.

Carried by majority 6-1 vote by Council.

• Staff report: TS-11-21 90 Minute Free Parking

MAYOR MEED WARD’S TAKE:A phased-in implementation of cancelling the pilot project, particularly so close to the holiday season, bridges the discomfort I had with less than 12 hours notice for public. It also gives staff time to take down signs and respects what we’ve heard from the downtown business community that they’d like this program to end. • RED TAPE RED CARPET (RTRC) UPDATE FOR Q3 2021 — Burlington Economic Development report.Motion:

Receive and file Burlington Economic Development report ECDEV-05-21 regarding Red Tape Red Carpet (RTRC) implementation update for Q3 2021 and associated appendices.

Carried unanimously by Council.

• Staff report: ECDEV-05-21 Red Tape Red Carpet (RTRC) Update Q3 2021
• Appendices:
  • ECDEV-05-21 Appendix A - RTRC Implementation Plan Q3 2021
  • ECDEV-05-21 Appendix B - Integrated Customer Experience

MAYOR MEED WARD’S TAKE:The RTRC wrapped up after six months in operation and its 22 recommendations came out of it. It’s great to get follow-up reports from staff to track those recommendations being implemented — that’s accountability to our community. We’ve certainly made progress, but we have more work do, particularly with customer experience and streamlining processes. And the end of the day, if there was a City Hall across the street, we’d want folks to choose us to do business with. What matters most is how we are going to fix the issues and that we truly lay out a red carpet to anyone and everyone looking to do business with the City of Burlington.

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CSSRA COMMITTEE (Nov. 10)

• Post-Meeting Minutes - CSSRA_Committee_Nov10_2021

• COUNCIL REMUNERATION REVIEW WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS — Office of the City Clerk report.Recommendation:

Approve the recommendations from the Council Remuneration Review Working Group on council compensation, expense limits and resources attached as appendix A to office of the city clerk report CL-33-21; andDirect the City Clerk to report back to the Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee with a timeline for each of the Council Remuneration Review Working Group recommendations, including an implementation plan. (SD-35-21).

Carried unanimously by Council.

• Staff report: CL-33-21 Council Remuneration Review Working Group Recommendations
• Appendix: CL-33-21 Appendix A Report from Council Remuneration Review Working Group

MAYOR MEED WARD’S TAKE:Council has committed to good governance and this is part of that. I look forward to further and more detailed conversations on some of the items outlined in the report and thank the advisory committee on their work on this.

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EICS COMMITTEE (Nov. 15)

• Post-Meeting Minutes - EICS_Committee_Nov15_2021

• ROBERT BATEMAN HIGH SCHOOL SURPLUS SCHOOL SITE UPDATE — City Manager's Office report.Recommendation:Receive and file city manager’s office report CM-26-21 regarding an update related to the proposed acquisition of the Robert Bateman High School surplus school site.Carried by unanimously by Council.

• City Manager's Office report: CM-26-21 Robert Bateman High School Surplus School Site Update

MAYOR MEED WARD’S TAKE:This is a really exciting opportunity for the city and one that doesn’t come often -- a 200,000-square-foot space with all the community uses with stakeholders is a significant benefit to the community. This is a significant opportunity for a campus to bring all stakeholders together and still have about 79,000 square foot leftover for the community — one that can have continued community uses, gym, pool, etc. I am thrilled and happy to take this opportunity to bring the community along, be open and transparent about what the future of this site will mean for our residents. Thank you to all of our partners. We’re building a new future for this area in our community.

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RELATED LINKS:

• Post-Meeting Minutes - Special Meeting of Council_Nov03_2021
• Post-Meeting Minutes - CPRM_Committee_Nov09_2021
• Post-Meeting Minutes - CSSRA_Committee_Nov10_2021
• Post-Meeting Minutes - Special Meeting of Council_Nov10_2021
• Post-Meeting Minutes - EICS_Committee_Nov15_2021
• Post-Meeting Minutes - CPRM Committee-Statutory Public Meeting for Cannabis Production Study_Nov16_2021
• Post-Meeting Minutes - Regular Meeting of Council_Nov23_2021
• Post-Meeting Minutes - Special Meeting of Council_Nov30_2021

—*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor’s Media and Digital Communications Specialist