PERIOD REPORT
DATE: May 1, 2017 Report No. ADM-17-013
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Anja Nurvo, Director of Corporate Services
SUBJECT:TITLE Corporate Services - 2017 First Period Report
Body
The following is a report on the activities pertaining to the Corporate Services Department from January 1, 2017 to April 30, 2017.
I. DIVISION ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Corporate Services
• Prepare and submit successful grant application to Municipal Insurance Association to cover legal services for preparation of updated bylaws to regulate natural water courses and storm sewers as well as home heating oil tanks, including obligations, prohibitions, enforcement and recovery of all costs of containment, clean up and restoration from responsible person(s)
• Staff completed the following:
o 32 meetings: preparation of notices, newspaper notifications, agendas, and minutes for Regular, Special and In Camera meetings of Council and Committee of the Whole, including posting on website, preparation of action reports and completion of all required follow up
o 8 proclamations prepared and posted, including on website
• Corporate Officer and Deputy Corporate Officer completed 13 electronic registrations at Land Title Office
• Corporate Officer responded to 10 requests for access to records under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act; one appeal pending before Office of the Information Privacy Commissioner
• Coordinate Volunteer Recognition Event, including booking venue, catering, invitations, all logistics and follow up; successful event held April 17th at CFB Esquimalt Gunroom
• Assist with coordination of HMCS Esquimalt Commemorative Ceremony with CFB Esquimalt April 16th
• Scheduling of Mayor and CRD Board Chair meetings and Acting Mayor meetings and attendances
• Corporate Officer and Deputy Corporate Officer completed updated consolidations of Zoning Bylaw and Official Community Plan (last updated April 2016)
• Corporate Officer took part in a webinar on electronic records management system hosted by LGMA
• Staff coordinated all arrangements for Council’s attendance at annual AVICC, FCM and UBCM conferences
• Administrative Assistant/Deputy Corporate Officer continued with courses towards a Diploma in Public Administration
• Continued with implementation of Records Management process including: review and inputting of Fire Department files into database, production of retention/destruction reports for 2017 municipal records, completed review and secure disposition of applicable records, and updating of RM manual and database as required
• Organize Strategic Planning session for Council, facilitate preparation of notes, updated Strategic Planning Chart and Operational Strategies for Council, staff and posting in Council Chambers and on website
• Staff made all logistical arrangements for leaves of absence for Councillor Morrison and Mayor Desjardins
2. Communications
• Continued with phase 2 of website upgrade - optimize site structure for ease of use and create a consolidated and centralized contact directory.
• Communications support to Township departments on program announcements and initiatives (Esquimalt Town Square, Esquimalt Road Urban Design Guidelines)
• Continued with program of news releases and media advisories, posting 27 news releases to the website and issuing 5 releases using regional news media contact list. Topics of news releases included:
o Township Holds 2017 Tax Increase to 0.5%
o Short-term Road Closures in Effect for Esquimalt 5K
o Parking Lot Closures as Town Square Construction Begins
o Preliminary Development Work Begins on Esquimalt Town Square
o McLoughlin Point Wastewater Treatment Plant Open House
• Worked with departments on revising and adding web content to website; troubleshoot any issues.
• Daily updating of website home page with news and events features.
• Daily media monitoring using Google Alerts, media outlet websites and social media; forwarding information to staff where appropriate. Posting of pdf news clippings and links to internal website for staff information. A total of 29 news items were posted to the internal website during the period.
• Daily updating on internal website The Bridge, posting content of interest to staff, including announcements, staff moves, news items, videos, safety information, photos and photo galleries.
• On behalf of the Township, liaising with advertising representatives from print, broadcast and electronic media on major advertising opportunities.
• Advertising:
o Coordinated “Experience Esquimalt” materials for Times Colonist with a focus on March and April events in the Township (February 2017)
• Assisted with promotion of community events and media photo opportunities, posting some 34 event announcements to the website. This included:
o New Year’s Day Levee
o CRD public meetings on wastewater treatment
o Esquimalt Farmers Market - Indoors
o Emergency preparedness public presentations
o Vimy 100 at the Bay Street Armoury
o HMCS Esquimalt Remembrance Ceremony
• Writing assignments included speeches and speaking notes, event notices, news items, newsletter, advertising and web content.
• Editing, writing and design of March 2017 “Current” Newsletter. Stories included:
o Feature on Esquimalt Town Square construction
o Tax incentives available for Esquimalt Road beautification
o Update on McLoughlin Point
o Official Community Plan Update
o Esquimalt Road Urban Design Guidelines
o Service Changes to Electric Vehicle Charging Station
o Community calendar
Communications Analytics:
• Website Google Analytics
o 249,946 page views (209,959 last period)
o Most page views: 1) Parks and Recreation Drop-in Schedules (8.51%),
2) Parks and Recreation Pool Schedule (6.82%), 3) Employment page (6.71%), 4) Home Page (6.58%)
• Daily monitoring of social media sites and posting of information (last period in brackets):
o 45 (63) tweets and retweets posted to Twitter
o 127 (142) new followers added during the period
o 56 (75) timeline posts to Facebook during period
o 49 (56) new Facebook likes during the period
• Legistar Analytics (last period in brackets)
o 732 (585) total page views - all pages in the Granicus system
o 476 (446) total visits - total number of times visitors came to the site
o 442 (401) total unique visitors - individual views of site
o 66% desktop, 34% mobile
3. Archives
• Municipal Archivist wrote four monthly historical articles for the Victoria News. Topics covered were: the Battle of Vimy Ridge, God’s Acre and Fort Macaulay, the Esquimalt Graving Dock, and the story of HMCS Rainbow. The articles continue to receive very positive feedback from the public and the editor of the Victoria News.
• On April 9, Municipal Archivist Greg Evans and Volunteer Sherri Robinson participated in a major public event held at Bay Street Armoury to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. A very professional display was produced for the Township which received a great many positive comments. The well organized event attracted hundreds of people.
• The Township was approved for funding from Canada 150 program, which has set the wheels in motion for a number of initiatives. Municipal Archivist will assist with organizing of Fort Macaulay Day on May 27 and the Gorge Park Regatta, scheduled for a date to be determined in August.
• Municipal Archivist made a presentation to Council at its meeting on March 20, focussing on the latest on-line photograph and textual material up-loaded to Past Perfect. Entitled Capturing Our History Phase II, an additional 1,600 images were added to the original online collection launched in 2015. The additional images have received positive public comments.
• Archives received a number of new acquisitions over this period, the most noteworthy being: a large collection of photographs depicting the extensive greenhouses that once operated on what is the site today of the Esquimalt Shopping Plaza, information on the local cannery empire operated by the Todd family, and a copy of the Archaeology Impact Assessment And Monitoring Study of the Old Songhees Reserve.
• There were 70 requests for information/assistance/support during this period, of which 30 were walk-ins. While some requests were straightforward and answered relatively quickly, others required more effort to resolve, some of which are described below. It should also be noted that requests from overseas are received on a regular basis. Research requests included:
o the history of the Songhees First Nation in support of a major initiative to capture and present their history within the context of Esquimalt
o a series of outdoor interpretive signs illustrating the long history of the Gorge Bridge
o the role of women in World War I for an exhibit to be developed later in the year
o the history of HMCS Rainbow cadets
o BC Golf Hall of Fame and Museum in researching the history of the golf course on Macaulay Plains which was one of Canada’s first golf clubs.
o identifying a series of stained glass windows currently in the Comox United Church which appear to have been in a local Presbyterian Church which was demolished in 1936 and then taken up-island
• Research on houses, apartments and commercial buildings in Esquimalt continues to be popular with 14 requests being made.
• Township staff was provided with various historical information including: the permitting history of eight properties; photographs were taken of six houses prior to the issuing of final demolition permits; history of Buccaneer Days; assistance in a submission to the Provincial Stop of Interest Program; information on early land surveyors for the Mayor’s speech to the BC Land Surveyors Association; and an overview of the history of the old public works yard behind Municipal Hall.
• A total of approximately 100 walking tour packages were handed out directly to the general public.
• Our team of six volunteers contributed a total of 577 hours. Volunteers are working on a variety of projects from creating finding aids to developing a data base for buildings permits from the 1990s.
4. Human Resources
Recruitment (Regular Positions)
The Human Resources Department has been very busy in the first quarter of 2017 with recruitment and selection process. There were 10 regular positions posted, with three still in progress, as outlined below:
Community Safety Services:
• Bylaw Management Officer
Fire Department:
• Firefighter
Information Technology:
• Information Technology Support Analyst (2 positions)
Parks and Recreation:
• Community Development Programmer
• Reception Supervisor (P/T X 2 positions)
• Program Support
Engineering/Public Works:
• Engineering Technologist I
In Progress:
• Technical Supervisor
• Finance Clerk I
• Executive Assistant
Labour Relations
The Director of HR has been working collaboratively with the Union, and as a result the Union withdrew 7 outstanding grievances in the first quarter. Two grievances regarding Letters of Warning are outstanding at Step One.
General
The Occupational Health and Safety Committees at Public Works and Municipal Hall held events to recognize National Day of Mourning - April 28, 2017.
II. COMMITTEES
• Staff acted as Recording Secretary and prepared notice, agenda, minutes of one Environmental Advisory Committee meeting during this period
• Staff acted as Recording Secretary for Labour Management Committee
• Annual recruitment for Committees, Commissions and Board - staff arranged for Council re-appointments and advertising of remaining vacancies
• Staff conducted research, obtained community groups’ input and prepared report for Council on the appropriate role of the Council Liaison to advisory committees and community groups