REQUEST FOR DECISION
DATE: September 27, 2017 Report No. EPW-17-050
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Jeff Miller, Director of Engineering and Public Works
SUBJECT:
Title
Proposed Modifications to Funding Sources for Council Policy E&PW-01 - The Township Guide to Traffic CalmingEnd
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That Council approve revised Council Policy E&PW-01 - The Township Guide to Traffic Calming, as attached to Staff Report EPW-17-050.
Body
RELEVANT POLICY:
Council Policy E&PW-01 - The Township Guide to Traffic Calming
STRATEGIC RELEVANCE:
Well Managed and Maintained Infrastructure - Identify infrastructure repair and proactively plan for replacement needs.
Healthy and Liveable Community - Ensure multi modal strategies consider and reflect business and residential growth and development.
BACKGROUND:
In October 2014, Council Policy E&PW-01 - The Township Guide to Traffic Calming was approved by Council. This document was created to provide a framework for the application, evaluation, design, funding and implementation of traffic calming structures/strategies for roads in the Township. The Guide defines road classifications based on road designation as per the Official Community Plan. Also, within the Guide were two funding methods for each of the road classifications.
Due to a request from the public and a re-evaluation of traffic concerns, a third classification of roads was determined to be warranted (see Attachment 2 - Staff Report EPW-17-036). At the August 21, 2017 Council meeting, Council directed staff to prepare a revision to the Policy to include a funding mechanism for cut through routes. This classification deals with residential roads that function as residential collector roads during specific times (i.e. morning and afternoon rush hours). When this happens the road becomes a cut through road.
ISSUES:
1. Rationale for Selected Option
The revised Guide (see Attachment 1) is recommended to Council for approval by Staff. Within the Guide the road classifications have been modified to identify cut through roads and a procedure for this road classification to obtain funding.
2. Organizational Implications
The implementation of the revised Guide can be carried out within the Engineering Department work plan for 2017. The evaluation methodology to determine if a road is a cut through road would be undertaken in the last quarter of 2017. Once this methodology is developed, it is not anticipated that the evaluation process would take a significantly longer period of time to be carried out.
3. Financial Implications
The new classification of road will have access to both funding sources. Residents will have to decide which funding source best fits their situation and be aware of the time frames associated with each.
Capital Projects Reserve Fund requests are processed once a year during the budget process. See page 6 of the Guide for a detailed explanation of the funding process. These requests would receive funding through general taxation.
Local Area Service Funding requests can be processed at any time of the year. These requests will have to meet the requirements of LAS process (see page 7 of the Guide). A request made under this process is initially funded by the Township with properties within the defined boundaries paying back the Township for the service over a period of time.
4. Sustainability & Environmental Implications
A change in this Council Policy will allow residents of cut through roads the ability to choose a funding model that works for the area.
5. Communication & Engagement
The new Guide will be made available on the Township’s website and in hard copy form at the Municipal Hall.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. That Council approve the revised Council Policy E&PW-01 - Township Guide to Traffic Calming, as attached to Staff Report EPW-17-050.
2. That Council does not approve revised Council Policy E&PW-01 Township Guide to Traffic Calming and provides further direction to Staff for revisions to the Policy.