M I N U T E S
GENERAL COMMITTEE
May 3, 2010
Meeting
No. 13
Finance &
Administrative Issues Community
Services Issues
Chair: Reg.
Councillor J. Virgilio Chair:
Councillor
A. Chiu
Chair, Budget Sub-Ctte: Councillor D. Horchik Environment & Sustainability Issues
Chair: IT Sub-Ctte: Reg. Councillor J. Jones Chair: Councillor
E. Shapero
Chair:
Grants Sub-Ctte: Councillor V. Burke Building,
Parks and Construction Issues
Chair:
Councillor C.
Moretti
Alternate formats are available
upon request.
Attendance
|
Mayor F. Scarpitti Regional Councillor J. Jones Regional Councillor G. Landon Regional Councillor J. Virgilio Councillor V. Burke Councillor D. Hamilton Councillor C. Moretti Councillor J. Webster Councillor D. Horchik Councillor L. Kanapathi Regrets Councillor. E. Shapero Councillor A. Chiu |
C. Conrad, Town Solicitor A. Taylor, Commissioner of Corporate Services B. Librecz, Commissioner of Community & Fire
Services O.
Aribumu, Manager, Client Delivery A.
Brouwer, Deputy Clerk F. Edwards, Election Coordinator M.
Ingwersen, District Manager, Operations N.
Kenea, Chief Information Officer K. Kitteringham, Town Clerk J. Lustig, Treasurer N.
Takata, Parks Planner M.
Urquhart, Manager of Environmental Leadership P. Wealleans, Director of Taxation |
The General Committee convened at the hour of
9:00 a.m. with Regional Councillor J. Virgilio in the Chair for Finance and
Administrative related items, and for Environment and Sustainability related
items.
Councillor J. Webster disclosed an interest with respect to Item 4, the Minutes of the Environmental Issues Committee, and Item 11 (sections 9, 10, and 11) regarding the Markham Environmental Sustainability Fund Application for Legacy Organic Garden, by nature of his family using the community garden, and did not take part in the discussion of or vote on the question of the approval of such matters.
1. MINUTES
OF THE MARCH 8, 22,
AND 29, 2010 GENERAL COMMITTEE (16.0)
Moved by Deputy Mayor J. Heath
Seconded by Councillor D. Horchik
1) That the Minutes of the March 8, 22, and 29, 2010 General Committee be received.
CARRIED
2. MINUTES
OF THE APRIL 22, 2010
MARKHAM ENVIRONMENTAL
ADVISORY COMMITTEE (16.0)
Minutes
Moved by Deputy Mayor J. Heath
Seconded by Councillor D. Horchik
1) That the Minutes of the April 22, 2010 Markham Environmental Advisory Committee be received.
CARRIED
3. MINUTES
OF THE
MARCH 22, 2010
MARKHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD (16.0)
Moved by Deputy Mayor J. Heath
Seconded by Councillor D. Horchik
1) That the Minutes of the March 22, 2010
Markham Public Library Board be received.
CARRIED
4. MINUTES
OF THE MARCH 24, 2010
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES COMMITTEE (16.0)
Councillor J. Webster disclosed an interest with respect to Item 4, the Minutes of the Environmental Issues Committee, regarding the Markham Environmental Sustainability Fund Applications for Legacy Organic Garden, by nature of his family using the community garden, and did not take part in the discussion of or vote on the question of the approval of such matter.
Moved by Deputy Mayor J. Heath
Seconded by Councillor D. Horchik
1) That the Minutes of March 24, 2010
Environmental Issues Committee be received.
CARRIED
5. APPOINTMENTS TO ADVISORY
COMMITTEES AND BOARDS (16.24)
Moved by Deputy Mayor J. Heath
Seconded by Councillor D. Horchik
1) That Mr. Matthew Korchinski and Mr. Peter Favot be appointed to the Public Art Advisory Committee for the
term ending November 30, 2010.
CARRIED
6. STAFF AWARDED CONTRACTS FOR
THE MONTH OF MARCH 2010 (7.12)
Moved by Deputy Mayor J. Heath
Seconded by Councillor D. Horchik
1)
That
the report entitled “Staff Awarded Contracts for the Month of March 2010” be
received; and,
2)
That
Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to
this resolution.
CARRIED
7. BANKING SERVICES CONTRACT
EXTENSION 006-R-02 (7.0)
It was noted that fees are being charged for staff withdrawals, and staff was requested to negotiate free access in the new contract. Staff will provide an update for Council.
Moved by Deputy Mayor J. Heath
Seconded by Councillor D. Horchik
1) That
the report “Banking Services Contract Extension 006-R-02” be received; and,
2) That
the staff be authorized to extend contract 006-R-02 with TD Commercial Banking
(TD Bank) for a period of 5 years to April 30, 2015 for banking services in the
estimated annual cost of $92,000; and,
3) That the Request for Proposal process be waived in accordance with Purchasing By-Law 2004-341, Part II, Section 7, 1(c), Non-Competitive Procurement, when the extension of an existing contract would prove more cost-effective or beneficial; and,
4) That the funds for Banking Services be drawn from the Financial Services Operating Account # 410-440-5750; and further,
5) That staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
8. 2010 TAX RATES AND LEVY
BY-LAW (7.3)
Moved by Deputy Mayor J. Heath
Seconded by Councillor D. Horchik
1) That
Town of Markham: $107,354,545
Region of
School Boards: $182,016,128
Total $498,125,518
2) That staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
9. APPROVAL
OF ALTERNATIVE VOTING
METHODS - 2010 MUNICIPAL ELECTION (14.0)
Kimberley Kitteringham, Town Clerk, and Andrew Brouwer, Deputy Clerk, were in attendance to address questions regarding alternative voting methods for the 2010 Municipal Election.
Staff responded to the concerns expressed by the Committee regarding security, particularly the potential for illegally accumulating PIN numbers and casting multiple votes. The Vendor for election support and services will be making a presentation to the Committee in the near future, and will address the concerns identified.
Staff advised of the provisions of The Municipal Elections Act and The Municipal Act, 2001 with respect to illegal acts and penalties, and provision of authority to the Returning Officer to deal with emergencies and questionable situations. The Town cannot restrict which IP address is used by the voter, but the Vendor can track the usage and build in triggers to alert to unusual patterns. The Vendor can also track votes cast from another country.
Discussions included the provision of a list of voters who have voted following the early election, but the complete list is not provided at the conclusion of the election. This is due to the Elections Act, which clearly states that the voters list is for election purposes only, and once the election is concluded, there should be no use for the list. Electronic voting will be closed off prior to Election Day due to the extensive administrative and financial costs that would be involved in providing electronic voting equipment at all the voting places. It also allows for a fall-back position as a precaution.
The Committee directed staff to ensure that offences and penalties, and the early electronic voting close-off date, are clearly communicated to the public, in published material and electronically, and in all languages.
Moved by Deputy Mayor J. Heath
Seconded by Councillor C. Moretti
1) That the Report entitled “Approval of Alternative Voting Methods - 2010 Municipal Election” be received; and,
2) That Council adopt the by-law attached as Appendix “A” to authorize the use of Optical Scan Vote Tabulators and Vote Recorders for the 2010 Municipal Elections; and
3) That Council adopt the by-law attached as Appendix “B” to authorize the use of Internet Voting for the Early Voting Period for the 2010 Municipal Elections; and further,
4) That staff be authorized to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
10. AWARD
OF PROPOSAL 029-R-10 2010
GENERAL ELECTION – TABULATION
AND ONLINE VOTING SUPPORT & SERVICES (14.0)
Moved by Councillor J. Webster
Seconded by Councillor L. Kanapathi
1)
That the Report entitled “Award
of Proposal 029-R-10 2010 General Election – Tabulation and Online Voting
Support & Services” be received; and,
2)
That the contract for Request for Proposal 029-R-10 be awarded to the highest
ranked and lowest priced bidder, Election Systems & Software in the amount
of $236, 619.35, inclusive of HST; and,
3)
That the award be funded from
budget account 86 2700 850 (2010 General Elections); and further,
4)
That Staff
be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this
resolution
CARRIED
11. MARKHAM
TREES FOR TOMORROW -
SPRING 2010 FUNDING (5.7)
Moved by Deputy Mayor J. Heath
Seconded by Councillor V. Burke
1) That
the staff report entitled
2) That
Council approve funding for the four applications in the amount of $97,500 from
the Trees for
3) That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
CARRIED
12. MARKHAM
ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY
FUND APPLICATIONS (5.7)
Staff Recommendations Applications
Councillor J. Webster disclosed an interest with respect to Item 11 (sections 9, 10, and 11) regarding the Markham Environmental Sustainability Fund Applications for Legacy Organic Garden, by nature of his family using the community garden, and did not take part in the discussion of or vote on the question of the approval of such matter.
The Committee agreed to split the vote to allow Councillor J. Webster to vote on the remaining
items.
Moved by Mayor F. Scarpitti
Seconded by Councillor V. Burke
1) That Council endorse the following recommendations from the March 24, 2010 Environmental Issues Committee (see item No. 4 to reference the meeting minutes):
A) Little Rouge Creek Rehabilitation (Application 1 – Page 215)
That the application by Ontario Streams for MESF funding for a stream rehabilitation project be approved in the amount of $5,000; and,
That staff ensure that the land has not been cultivated in the last five years; and,
That Town be recognized for funding support on the Ontario Streams’ website.
B) Ecological Action Conference: Markham Steps Forward
(Application 2 – Page 227)
That the application by the Youth Environmental Network of York Region (YENYR) for MESF funding for the third annual Ecological Action Conference in the fall of 2010 be approved in an amount not to exceed $10,000, following review and approval of a revised detailed budget by Town Communications staff; and,
That YENYR consult with the Manager, Environmental Leadership and the Town’s Communications staff in the development of the conference; and,
That staff be directed to work with YENYR to refine the details of the conference, including: the use of a local caterer; the engagement of a keynote speaker; increasing the size of the target audience; and participation/displays by Region of York and other organizations.
C) Outdoor Classroom/ Garden (Application 3 – Page 241)
That the application by Ellen Fairclough Public School for MESF funding for an outdoor classroom/garden in the amount of $5,000 be approved, subject to the review and approval of tree species by Parks staff.
D) Garden and Field Guide (Application 4 – Page 255)
That the application by Unionville Meadows Public School for MESF funding for a garden project in the amount of $3,572 be approved, conditional on the following:
· species selection for the garden and field guide publication being reviewed by Town Parks staff.
· the Markham Environmental Sustainability Fund contribution be recognized in the field guide publication and through newsletters, the school website, etc.
Moved by Mayor F. Scarpitti
Seconded by Councillor V. Burke
E) Legacy Organic Garden (Application 5 – Page 275)
That the application by the Town of Markham’s Sustainability Office for MESF funding in the amount of $2,500 for a community garden pilot project on Markham Green Golf Course lands be approved in principle; and,
That funding not be released until all necessary licensing, approvals and guidelines are obtained/met; and further,
That Sustainability Office staff be directed to report back at a further meeting of the Environmental Issues Committee, to be scheduled as soon as possible, on issues and queries raised this date.
CARRIED
13. REGIONAL ROAD WATCH COMMITTEE (16.24)
Moved by Mayor F.
Scarpitti
Seconded by Councillor D. Hamilton
1) That the letter from Ms. Linda Pabst, Councillor, Township of King, and Mr. Bradley Bulmer, Traffic Bureau Commander, York Regional Police, requesting the Town appoint a Councillor to the Regional Road Watch Committee be received; and,
2) That Regional Councillor Gordon Landon be appointed to the Regional Road Watch Committee with a term ending November 30, 2010.
CARRIED
IN CAMERA MATTERS
That, in accordance with Section 239 (2) (d), and (c) of the Municipal Act, General Committee resolve into an in-camera session to discuss the following confidential matters:
Moved by Councillor V. Burke
Seconded by Councillor J. Webster
1) Labour relations or employee negotiations regarding pregnancy and parental leave.
2) A proposed or pending acquisition of land by the municipality regarding the execution of a lease.
3) Labour relations or employee negotiations – (MPFFA)
4) Labour relations or employee negotiations – (CUPE)
5) Labour relations or employee negotiations
CARRIED
Moved by Regional Councillor G. Landon
Seconded by Councillor C. Moretti
That the Committee rise from the in-camera session (1:27 PM)
CARRIED
ADJOURNMENT
The General Committee meeting adjourned at 1:27 PM.