2017 Annual Report

35 City of Chilliwack 2017 Annual Report Objectives, Measures & Progress Objectives Measures for 2018/2019 and Progress from 2017 OBJECTIVE STRATEGY MEASURE PROGRESS Financial Stability Plan for anticipated community needs. Long‐term Comprehensive Municipal Plan  (CMP) updated annually. 2017 CMP to Council in December 2016. Fund planned capital expenditures. Balance CMP without long‐term borrowing. All capital expenditures funded without long‐term debt in 2017 CMP. Build reserves for anticipated and unanticipated community needs. Maintain Unrestricted General Reserve Fund  balance for unanticipated future. 2016 closing balance of $15.9 million. CMP includes an annual allocation to  the Unrestricted Reserve. Maintain a reasonable tax burden for taxpayers. Annual tax rate increase similar to rate  increase of other local governments. Chilliwack's 2017 tax increase was 3.5%, Abbotsford was 2.13%, Maple Ridge  3.15%, and Langley 3.99%.  To have Chilliwack maintain lower municipal  taxation levies on a representative home  when compared to similar communities in  the Lower Mainland. Chilliwack has the lowest general municipal taxation levy, on a  representative home, of the 19 Lower Mainland communities surveyed.  With the inclusion of water, sewer and garbage collection fees, Chilliwack is  lower by an even greater margin. To have Chilliwack maintain lower business  taxation levies when compared to similar  communities in the Lower Mainland in an  effort to attract business to the area. Chilliwack continues to have the lowest business class multiplier of the 19  Lower Mainland communities surveyed. Explore opportunities for other sources of  capital and operational funding. Available government grants successfully applied for include the $8.375  million Federal/Provincial funding for the Vedder Bridge replacement  project, a $2 million grant from the Ministry of Transportation and  Infrastructure towards the Lickman Road interchange project and a grant  from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for the Sardis Rail  Trail North project crossing the Trans Canada Highway. Identify priority projects that can be eligible  for future infrastructure grants and save for  the municipal funding portion. Incorporated a savings plan into the 10 Year CMP to fund the City's 1/3  funding portion for various projects that could be eligible for future grants.  This will ensure projects proceed should an application receive funding. New growth pays for itself. DCC Bylaw annual review completed and rates amended accordingly. Good Stewardship  of Municipal  Infrastructure Maintain the road system. Average pavement quality index goals set at:   Arterial 6.5, Collector 6.0, Local 5.5.   Investment into the annual road rehabilitation program of $3.3 million in  2018 to allow surface condition maintenance. Incrementally increasing  annually to $3.7 million by 2023. Maintain the utility systems. Service delivery interruptions minimized. Flushed 120% of water system, installed 655 metres of new watermain and  replaced over 250 life expired water meters. Over 2,160 backflow prevention  devices tested. Dismantled, serviced and rebuilt over 1,050 fire hydrants.  Installed 750 metres of new storm sewer pipes. Replaced 1,409 metres of  aging cast iron and PVC water pipes. Installed 1,375 metres of sanitary sewer  lines and flushed 135 km of sewer lines. Maintain civic facilities. Extend the life of buildings and reduce  unplanned costly repairs. Maintain regular major maintenance program and roof inspection program  for all civic facilities. Upgraded 3 civic building roofs. Maintain municipal fleet.  Repair and replacement program planned  and funded. Vehicle Maintenance Management System in use.  Equipment Replacement  Reserve Fund in balance.  Replaced aged items as required. Used 41  retreaded tires. 73 heavy duty vehicles / equipment serviced and inspected  quarterly in 2017 and 92 light vehicles serviced.  6 high efficiency diesel  trucks, 5 hybrid cars and 1 electric car in service. 100% bio‐degradable oil in  3 Parks mowers, 1 backhoe, 1 grader and 1 dump truck in Operations.  Replacing standard mineral oils with long‐life synthetics where possible.  Completed over 3,100 repairs to fleet vehicles in 2017. Manage airport lease. Manage airport lease. The airport operator presented Council with a 5 year business plan covering  the period of 2017 ‐ 2022. At this time, the focus is to extend the runway, as  this is a necessary component to further the 5 year plan. This will take  approximately 3 years to complete due to the cost and approvals required.  Meanwhile, the airport operator wishes to add new hangars and is in  discussion with CEPCO about land needs for additional expansion. Protect the community from flood risk. Remove 230,000 cubic metres of gravel from  the Fraser River annually and 100,000 cubic metres of gravel from the  Vedder River every second year. No gravel removed by the Province from the Fraser River in 2017. Provincial  Government reviewing Fraser River gravel management program. No gravel  removed from the Vedder River in 2017; removals occur in even‐numbered  years. Existing funding opportunities for flood  studies and dyke upgrades maximized.   Senior levels of government lobbied for  additional monies. Received funding through the Province of BC for the $4.2 million McGillivray  Pump Station upgrades.  The design‐build project has commenced with  completion scheduled for the end of 2018.  Applied for funding through the  National Disaster Mitigation Program for $341,850 for updated floodplain  mapping (approved in 2017). Collaborated with Skwah First Nation and  Shxwha:y Village to review flood protection options in response to  Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada committing $5 million in funding for  the two First Nations communities. Continued support for the development  of a regional approach to flood management to maximize lobby efforts to  secure senior government funding opportunities. Open drainage watercourses and ditches in  the floodplain cleaned on a 3 ‐ 7 year cycle to  maintain drainage integrity. The 2017 drainage maintenance program saw 61,700 linear channel metres  being cleaned with DFO approval. Page 1 of 6