Every week, Bramptonist rounds up the interesting items on upcoming city council and committee meetings, so you don’t have to page through huge (and, if we’re being honest, tedious) PDFs and to make it easier for you to be a well-informed resident.
All meetings are open to the public (aside from items which are specifically marked as closed) and are generally held in the City Council Chambers unless stated otherwise.
Audit Committee
May 22, 10:00 a.m.
Alderlea — 40 Elizabeth Street South
The city’s audit committee is made up of five council members who review matters regarding the city as a corporation, dealing with financials and matters of potential fraud or unfair practices.
Update to KPMG Recommendations on Mayor and Councilors’ Expenses
The committee selected KPMG to audit the expenses claimed by members of council and to present recommendations on how to strengthen policies on how and what members could claim. The firm made its suggestions last September, and staff have updated the policies (page 5). They will come into effect after the next council is elected in October.
Road Resurfacing Audit
The city’s internal auditing team decided to audit the road resurfacing program, as it hadn’t been looked at for many years (page 15). Staff has many recommendations including a new centralized database to collect bid and contract information, a process for post-project evaluation, formalizing a site inspection plan process, automating payment processes, and providing more detailed notices about road projects to residents.
Read the Agenda here.
Taxicab Advisory Committee
May 22, 2:00 p.m.
Alderlea — 40 Elizabeth Street South
The TAC was reconvened after council’s vote on Uber. The committee, made up of taxi industry representatives, along with two councillors, two residents, and a member of the accessibility committee, discuss issues involving taxis and now companies like Uber and Lyft.
New Private Transportation Company Bylaw
This item (page 9) was the primary end-goal in the reconvening of the Taxicab Advisory Committee after several years of dormancy. This bylaw established the rules as to how private transportation companies (PTCs) like Uber, Lyft can operate within the City of Brampton. The bylaw goes to Committee of Council on June 6, and there will likely be a notice sent out for public comment.
Since the 2016 council meeting, several cities in Ontario have chosen to regulate, instead of ban, PTCs. Pearson International Airport is considering allowing PTC drivers to pick up passengers, instead of only being allowed to drop off.
During the review, staff received no complaints about PTCs, and have noted demand from the public. The accessibility committee understands that PTCs may not have accessible vehicles, but the app itself is accessible, and the committee also says there should be a requirement to accept service animals. Brampton Transit has also expressed a desire to possibly contract Uber to revive a service similar to the “dial-a-bus” concept.
Read the Agenda here.
Committee of Council
May 23, 9:30 a.m.
Alderlea — 40 Elizabeth Street South
CoC is attended by all members of council, except the mayor (though the mayor is permitted to be a member at this committee). This committee hears new reports from all areas of the city, as well as issues from the advisory committees. This is the confirming step before final council meeting approval.
Presentations
The Bethell Hospice (page 12) in Inglewood has a brief presentation on their services and care. It receives close to 300 clients referrals from Brampton residents, hospitals, and long-term care facilities.
Hockeyshot, a Mississauga company that makes synthetic surfaces for ice hockey, is presenting to council on the possible implementation of their product at city rinks (page 26).
Hurontario Light Rail Project Update: Operations and Maintenance
While the full $1.4 billion capital costs of the Hurontario LRT project are being fully covered, there have been some questions on who will cover the day-to-day operations and maintenance costs. There numbers aren’t cited, but we now have some idea of where the funding will come from (page 44).
Metrolinx will pay for the life cycle costs of the project (for example, in 30 years, replacement of rails or other infrastructure). The day-to-day operations will be paid for by the City of Brampton and City of Mississauga. This cost will be revealed when the winning RFP team is chosen and it reveals its estimates.
The two cities will choose the fares and will receive all revenue from the LRT, both fares and advertising, to be split between them.
Two Memorandums of Understanding (MOU), one between the cities, and one between the two cities and Metrolinx, will clearly define the roles and cost-sharing. The two MOUs don’t need to be in place by late 2018/early 2019 (when construction starts) but they do need to be in place by the in-service date of 2022.
Traffic Issues
There will be a U-turn restriction in both directions on Gardenbrooke Trail between The Gore Road and Thorndale Avenue, in front of Castlebrooke Secondary School (page 81).
There will be a U-turn restriction in both directions on Pinestaff Road between Tappet Drive and Lockport Crescent, near Walnut Grove Public School (page 85).
After review and a resident complaint, staff are recommending installing an all-way-stop intersection at Clayborne Avenue and Kershaw Street (page 88).
Goreway Drive Grade Separation
Finally, after years of traffic being stuck behind long CN trains, the city is moving a project to elevate Goreway Drive south of Steeles Avenue over the train tracks. It comes at a cost increase of $33 million, for which staff is asking for a budget amendment (page 95).
The city is sharing the cost with Mississauga. Staff recommends that Goreway Drive is rebuilt between Steeles Avenue and Kenview Drive at the same time and that a full closure of 12-15 months at the train crossing be done (instead of building a temporary diversion road).
Brampton Transit is estimating 1,500 riders will be affected on two routes because of the closure. The cost impact of the diversions will be $1 million per year, which will be built into the operating budget.
The detailed design was complete in 2010, and construction has stalled until now due to property acquisitions. Construction will start in November and should hopefully be done by Summer 2020.
New Bus Storage Facility
Brampton Transit is projecting that by 2022, they will need another bus storage and maintenance facility, to keep up with surging ridership demands (page 331). The facility will be located either in northeast or southwest Brampton, close to new growth areas and routes, and will need to accommodate at least 350 buses. There are currently 422 buses, stored between the Clark and Sandalwood facilities.
Both of the existing facilities can’t be expanded any further due to a lack of vacant land adjacent to both yards. Sandalwood is supposed to be able to handle 363 buses, but stores less because it wasn’t built to store articulated buses.
Illegal Signs
The city’s bylaw enforcement has taken a very strict stance on nuisance signs. Last year, 26,677 signs were removed and $62,275 in fines were levied (page 414).
City staff have trouble in some situations actually hitting a company with a fine, as some of the numbers used are temporary and can’t be traced back, or the companies aren’t registered. In March alone, the city removed over 6,000 illegal signs, more than any other month in the past few years.
Staff don’t recommend citizens remove signs. Concerns over injuries, altercations with people installing illegal signs, unknowingly removing legal signs (city noted election signs on public property, which technically isn’t allowed), not disposing of signs properly, and also staff being unable to keep an accurate count of removed signs.
Other Issues
Want to rent a Stageline SL75 Mobile Stage? Community groups and private groups can rent the city’s newest mobile stage starting on June 1 (page 350).
The city made a surplus of $23.8 million last year (page 354). The funds will be transferred to the Repair and Replacement Reserve, which goes towards replacing aging infrastructure (the city has a $200 million backlog of projects).
Read the Agenda here.