The Council Work Matrix [PDF, 396KB] is a list of projects and issues that are of particular interest to Council. The matrix is used as a means to track the status of these items. The matrix presented today covers the period of January 1, 2012, through September 30, 2012. Staff will make every effort to meet the dates outlined on the 2012 Matrix, but it should be noted that the dates listed may be altered depending upon availability of information and personnel.

Council received the update as information and directed staff to make some additions that will be reviewed at an upcoming Council Workshop meeting.

Trevor Thompson, Manager of Financial Planning, presented a report [PDF, 233KB] to Council outlining 2012 Property Tax Rates. Appendix A [PDF, 52KB] of the report provides an Average Composite Property Tax Comparison which also outlines the levies from the other taxing jurisdictions. The School Tax Rates were not known at the time that this report was prepared, so the figures from 2011 have been used for comparative purposes.

Council gave the motion first, second and third reading and the final approval was forwarded to the May 8, 2012, regular Council Meeting.

Trevor Thompson, Manager of Financial Planning, presented a report [PDF, 368KB] to Council outlining the necessary revisions to the 2012-2016 Financial Plan Bylaw that Council passed in December of 2011. Prior to establishing the District’s tax rates it is necessary to revise the financial plan to reflect information that was not available at the time the preliminary budget was established.

When the budget was established in December of 2011, the District did not know the value of the 2012 Assessment Roll from BC Assessment. These final numbers will be published in the Annual Report and placed online on May 15, 2012.

Council gave the motion first, second and third reading and the final approval was forwarded to the May 8, 2012, regular Council Meeting.

Inspector David Fleugel, Operations Officer for the RCMP, spoke to Council regarding “Campaign 9-1-1” [PDF, 110KB] to increase
public awareness around impaired driving by encouraging people to call 9-1-1 to report suspected impaired drivers so those drivers can be pulled over, assessed, and, if appropriate, removed from our roads. Council fully supported the recommendation to implement this program for Maple Ridge, and asked that the organization come before Council at the regular Council Meeting to announce the launch to the widest possible audience.

Frank Quinn, General Manager: Public Works & Development Services, introduced a report to frame Council’s discussion on the multiple issues of solid waste management in the District of Maple Ridge.

The staff report [PDF, 259KB] summarized the District’s existing solid waste and recycling operations. In the lower mainland, solid waste and recycling efforts are governed by the Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan (ISWRMP) developed by Metro Vancouver. To achieve the stated goal within the ISWRMP to reduce regional waste division from 55% to 70%, Metro Vancouver has mandated a full organics ban which will be fully enforced by 2015. Noncompliance with the mandate could result in significant fines.

Another issue that will impact the District practices relates to an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Program that has been announced for two more key areas of the solid waste stream, packaging and printed paper. Basically, this means that the management of all waste from the packaging of consumer products and all printed materials (newspapers, magazines, brochures, etc.) will need to be paid for by the companies that produce them. Producers are currently developing their management plan and this will be submitted to the Province in November, 2012.

There was also a discussion around the pros and cons of the municipality administering a District-wide garbage pickup service. During the election campaign in the fall of 2011, and in the most recent Citizens Survey, residents identified garbage pick-up as a topic of interest for them.

With these three issues on the table, Council engaged in a discussion around the specific implications of each of these three issues and reviewed the table compiled by staff outlining the costs of garbage, recycling, organics and other collection programs from other communities in the lower mainland.

Council received the report as information and directed staff to retain a consultant to provide a detailed report that Council and citizens can use to determine how best to proceed on this complex issue