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TO: |
Mayor and Members of Council |
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FROM: |
Alan Brown,
Director of Engineering |
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PREPARED BY: |
Lorenzo Mele, TDM
Coordinator |
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DATE OF MEETING: |
2005-Jun-20 |
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SUBJECT: |
Smart Commute 404-7 (TMA) Transportation Management Association |
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RECOMMENDATION:
That the Mayor and Town Clerk be authorized to execute
a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and all other related documents, between the
Town of Markham, Town of Richmond Hill, Markham Board of Trade, Richmond Hill
Chamber of Commerce and the Regional Municipality of York, to the satisfaction
of the Director of Engineering, Town Solicitor and the Chief Administrative
Officer to establish the
And
that one member of Council be appointed to act as the Town representative on the
And that the tendering process be waived in accordance
with Purchasing By-Law 2004-341, Part II, Section 7 (1) which states “When any
of the following conditions apply, the Treasurer and the Manager of Purchasing
may, in consultation with the appropriate Director, negotiate a contract for
the supply of goods and services without a competitive process, which shall be
submitted to the Chief Administrative Officer for approval…….
(h) Where it is necessary or
in the best interests of the Town to acquire non-standard items or Consulting
and Professional Services from a preferred supplier or from a supplier who has
a proven track record with the Town in terms of pricing, quality and service.”
And
that the Town of Markham enter into a contract with the Markham Board of Trade,
for the provision of consulting services and a commuter options program for Markham businesses with an upset limit
of $43,000 for the balance of 2005 (July-Dec.), funding for which is included
in the
And
that York Region Transit be requested to include Smart Commute 404-7 as a
participant of the YRT - Volume Incentive Pilot program.
PURPOSE:
Following the report of
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Town has
been working with key stakeholders in the business community, transportation
industry and other levels of government over the past few years to obtain
support and build the partnerships required to form a
The initiative
in
BACKGROUND:
Awareness and Consultations
To gain support for the TMA development in
Steps to TMA Development
Once the initial stakeholder awareness and consultation sessions
were completed, a follow up process to move the initiative from concept to
reality was established, and business leaders in Markham (Markham Centre and
404-7 area) including
The consensus driven, stepped approach that was employed is outlined
as follows:
1. Identify Area and Participants
2. Consensus on
transportation related business issues
3. Consensus on business goals and objectives
4. Develop and validate
mission and goals
5. Develop preliminary commuter options
6. Conduct market research
7. Consider governance and organizational structure
8. Prepare work plans and budget
Launching the Initiative
The next step to moving the process forward involved a formal
introduction of the program to the larger business communities of
Commuter Options
The ways that employees can travel to or
from their place of work, other that driving alone in their automobile are
considered commuter options. Popular commuter options include public transit,
cycling, carpooling and teleworking. A commuter
options program is any collection of steps or initiatives that make these
options more attractive choices, and encourage their use.
DISCUSSION:
Determining an appropriate organizational structure and governance
model for the TMA, which would ensure accountability and responsibility for the
actions and management of the association’s activities, required a series of
final steps and the following is a summary of the key elements that have been included
in the M.O.U.:
Governance
Following the launch and
introduction of the Smart Commute 404-7 initiative
to the larger business community in
The organization
and governance review and business planning process considered the value of
including the 404-7 and Markham Centre initiatives within one
governance model. The rationale for a
consolidated governance structure focused on making the best use of the limited
financial and staff resources, as well as the geographic proximity of the two
areas. The 404-7 Steering
Team extended an invitation to create one combined initiative and Markham Centre businesses accepted.
Over the course of Fall 2004 the 15 plus members of the unified Steering Team, led by the consultant and staff working group, endeavored to consider governance options for the association through a series of facilitated discussions, workshops and key stakeholder interviews. The results of the interviews, combined with the governance workshop feedback and direction received from Steering Team members, allowed the consultant group to draft a set of governance policies, an associated organizational model and draft bylaws.
The stakeholder consultations
considered the framework required to create a new and incorporated association
that would deliver and manage transportation demand management activities in
Upon final review of this defined approach
(incorporate a new organization) the Steering
Team recommended the adoption of the draft business plan and associated
budget, however from a governance and organizational perspective the
recommendation of the Steering Team
was to align the operations of the proposed Association with that of the
Markham Board of Trade, (MBT) and Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce (RHCOC).
The merits of this approach include
but are not limited to the following:
·
Connection
to existing marketing and networking contacts
·
Established
administration and financial systems
·
·
Host
organizations recognized voice of
business
MBT shall oversee management of the implementation of Smart Commute 404-7 programs in
Mandate of
The mandate is to:
· 1 Board Representative from RHCOC;
· 1 Board Representative from MBT;
·
1 Councilor appointed by the
Town of
·
1 Councilor appointed by the
Town of
·
5 business representatives
appointed jointly by mutual agreement between RHCOC and MBT.
It is the responsibility of each Committee member to
make informed decisions and act with due diligence on behalf of Smart Commute 404-7. To that end, Committee members are
responsible for attending Committee meetings, reading and reviewing support
materials, actively participating in meetings and initiatives and generally supporting
the recommendations of the Committee.
Specifically,
·
Exercise
and demonstrate leadership
·
Share
duties and support each other in their Committee roles
·
Take
actions and make decisions that reflect legal and financial responsibility and
due diligence
·
Advance
the credibility, integrity and reputation of the Transportation Management
Association
·
Demonstrate
knowledge of the transportation issues impacting in the TMA area, the Strategic
Plan that will be prepared by the inaugural Committee during the first year of
operation
·
On
retirement from the Committee, provide feedback on Committee processes and
identify opportunities for improvement
Committee Remuneration
The Committee
members shall serve as such without remuneration but shall be entitled to be
paid their traveling and other expenses properly and actually incurred by them
in attending meetings of the Committee or of the members.
Association Staffing
It is expected that Smart Commute 404-7 shall also retain the services of two Field Coordinators, one based in the RHCOC office and the other based in the MBT office. The Field Coordinator based in the RHCOC office shall focus his or her efforts on transportation demand management programs for the Richmond Hill area. Similarly, the Field Coordinator based in the MBT office shall focus his or her efforts on transportation demand management programs for the Markham area. Administrative support may also be required for Smart Commute 404-7. The need for administrative support services shall be determined by the Committee and provided by the MBT and RHCC.
Private sector contribution in the form of Employer Transportation Coordinators
(ETC’s) is essential to the implementation of commuter options at specific work sites. Each participating firm will
be requested to identify an individual able to spend 1- 2 hours per week, and
with support from the Smart Commute 404-7
Field Coordinator, to deliver commuter
options programs at their company.
Financial Management
The Town of
Markham has budgeted $43,000 for the balance of 2005 (July-Dec.), through the
Engineering Capital Budgets #6141 and #6504, to pay for transportation demand management
services provided by Smart Commute 404-7.
Additional financial commitments of the Town of
Once the MOU
is in place staff will prepare the terms of reference including a program
monitoring and evaluation framework and payment schedule to support and control
the agreement/contract between the Town and the Markham Board of Trade for the
delivery of a consulting services and a commuter
options program for
York
Region Transit Committee at its meeting of
BUSINESS UNITS
CONSULTED
The Legal and Finance Departments have been consulted
in the preparation of this report.
FINANCIAL
CONSIDERATIONS:
Funding,
up to $43,000 for the balance of 2005 (July-Dec.) for the Town of Markham to
receive consulting services and the provision of a commuter options program for Markham businesses from the Markham
Board of Trade is included in the
For
the period
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Alan
Brown, C.E.T. Director
of Engineering |
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Jim
Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Commissioner
of Development Services |
