REQUEST FOR DECISION
DATE: May 10, 2016 Report No. ADM-16-015
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Anja Nurvo, Director of Corporate Services
SUBJECT:
Title
Miscellaneous Fees and Charges Bylaw Update
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That Council give first, second and third reading to Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous) Bylaw, No. 2874.
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RELEVANT POLICY:
Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous) Bylaw, 2001, No. 2484
STRATEGIC RELEVANCE:
This Request for Decision relates to the Operational Strategy of ongoing review of Township policies and bylaws to ensure efficient processes and to amend and update as necessary.
BACKGROUND:
Miscellaneous fees and charges have not been revised since Bylaw 2484 was passed in 2001. Several of the items categorized are out of date and no longer reflect the current practice or cost of providing copies of records and other services to the public.
Attached is a table summarizing the major amendments to the updated Bylaw, along with the rationale for the revisions.
Since 2001, the previous Bylaw has provided for charges for copies of Agendas, with Agenda cover pages provided free of charge and complete packages at $0.50 per page to a maximum of $10.00. A person could also purchase a subscription to receive complete Agenda packages for the year for a total of $200.00. For Minutes, the maximum charge provided was $5.00 per meeting, with an annual subscription rate of $50.00. In practice, staff has not charged these fees and a limited number of Agenda packages has been made available free of charge to the public.
The new draft Bylaw proposes to reinstate and revise the fee for Agendas and Minutes. Agenda cover pages would continue to be provided free of charge. However, complete packages of Agendas would be made available at $0.50 per page, up to a maximum of $10.00 for Agendas up to 200 pages in length, with a maximum of $20.00 for Agendas over 200 pages. The rationale for this proposed revision is as follows:
- Agendas complete with all background materials have been made available through our website since December 2011.
- Early in 2015, Council and senior staff went paperless and Agendas were made available through iPads, with the result that we reduced the number of paper copies of Agendas from 37 to the current 13, since Council at that time had directed that staff continue to make 10 paper copies of Agenda packages available for the public.
- In 2016 to date, there have been 15 Regular Council and Committee of the Whole meetings with an average Agenda of 145 pages. Six have been under 100 pages, six have been between 100-200 pages, one has been 300 pages, and one has been over 400 pages. The largest Agenda recently has been approximately 600 pages.
- Members of the public can access the Agenda on line and print the entire Agenda for themselves or just any portion they are particularly interested in. Alternatively, they can request that Township staff print up a specific portion of any Agenda at a nominal cost.
- It is not equitable that a handful of members of the public are provided Agenda packages free of charge, on a first come first served basis, while others are not. The cost of the staff and other resources to provide this service is in fact covered by the rest of the tax payers for the benefit of a few.
- If a member of the public wishes to continue to receive printed copies of Agenda packages from the Township, they should be required to pay for the annual subscription service, which would be far more economical than paying per Agenda.
- Staff has confirmed that it is common practice in our neighbouring municipalities to eliminate providing free paper copies of Agenda packages and to charge for recovery of providing this service.
ISSUES:
1. Rationale for Selected Option
Bylaw 2874 more accurately reflects the actual costs, in terms of staff time and other resources, in providing certain services to the public. The previous Bylaw 2484 was passed in 2001, and the fees and charges have not been revised since then. Bylaw 2874 has also been updated to take into account electronic copies and disks as a means of providing copies of records.
2. Organizational Implications
The fees and charges set out in draft Bylaw 2874 better reflect the Township’s actual cost of providing the services itemized and would be a policy change to move us closer to a user pay system to ensure the person receiving the service pays the total cost of that service rather than having the service paid for or subsidized by the balance of the tax payers. It would also result in a saving of staff time if additional paper copies of each Agenda for the public no longer had to be produced.
3. Financial Implications
The revised fees and charges would have some minor financial implications by resulting in the Township recovering more of the cost of resources used in providing these miscellaneous services to the public.
4. Sustainability & Environmental Implications
There are some sustainability and environmental implications by ensuring that public information and access to relevant documents is readily available on the Township’s website, thereby reducing the reliance on and need for paper copies to be produced.
5. Communication & Engagement
Once approved, the updated Bylaw will be posted on the Township’s website and a notice would also be posted advising of the options and charges for obtaining Agenda packages.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. That Council give first, second and third reading to Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous) Bylaw, 2016, No. 2874.
2. That Council direct amendments to Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous) Bylaw, 2016, No. 2874 and give first, second and third reading to Bylaw 2874 as amended.
3. That Council send draft Bylaw 2874 back to staff for further revisions.