2. Integrated Street
furniture Program - PROGRAMME INTÉGRÉ DE MOBILIER URBAIN - |
Committee Recommendations as amended
That Council:
1. Approve in principle the guiding principles outlined in this
report as the basis for the development of an Integrated Street Furniture
Program (ISFP), to be developed in consultation with the community and best
practice research;
2. Direct staff to report back in Q1 2009 on the results of
public consultation, recommended policy and the specific elements and criteria
that will form the basis of the Request for Proposal (RFP);
3. Direct staff to ensure that unsolicited proposals are not
accepted from proponents until the formal procurement process has been
established. Further, that any formal
or informal communication from potential proponents be included in the formal
public consultation.
4. Approve one time funding in the amount of $275,000 to be
funded from the City Wide Capital Reserve Fund to meet the requirements
necessary for the development of the ISFP as outlined in this report.
5. Approve
that the guiding principles of the Integrated Street Furniture Program include
accessibility for local business advertising by including, for consultation:
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be 25% of the ad space under the ISFP, and that,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be limited to less than 1.25 sq. meters, and that,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be unlit, and that,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be offered at a cost that is less than 50 % of the
published rate for lit panels, and that,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be offered in single unit quantities.
Recommandations modifiÉes du comité
Que le Conseil :
1. donne son accord de principe aux
principes directeurs énoncés dans le présent rapport en tant que fondement pour
l’élaboration d’un Programme intégré de mobilier urbain (Integrated Street Furniture Program, ou ISFP), lequel sera préparé
en consultation avec la collectivité et après consultation de la recherche en
matière de pratiques exemplaires dans ce domaine;
2. demande au personnel de faire rapport
au début de 2009 sur les résultats de la consultation publique, sur la
politique recommandée et sur les éléments précis et les critères qui serviront
de base à la demande de proposition;
3. enjoinge au personnel de s’assurer de
ne pas accepter de propositions non sollicitées provenant d’auteurs de
propositions, et ce, tant et aussi longtemps que le processus officiel d’achat
n’aura pas été établi. D’autre part, le personnel devra aussi s’assurer que
toute communication officielle ou non officielle d’éventuels auteurs de
proposition est incluse dans le processus de consultation publique;
4. approuve un financement unique au
montant de 275 000 $, lequel proviendra du Fonds général de réserve pour
immobilisations à portée générale en vue de répondre aux exigences nécessaires
à l’élaboration de l’ISFP tel que décrit dans le présent rapport.
5. approuve
l’inclusion dans les principes directeurs du Programme intégré de mobilier
urbain de l’accessibilité à la publicité d’entreprises locales, en prévoyant, à
des fins de consultation, que :
·
les
panneaux-réclame destinés à la publicité d’entreprises locales représentent
25 % de l’espace publicitaire prévu dans l’ISFP;
·
la
surface des panneaux-réclame destinés à la publicité d’entreprises locales soit
limitée à moins de 1,25 mètre carré;
·
les
panneaux-réclame destinés à la publicité d’entreprises locales ne soient pas
lumineux;
·
les
panneaux-réclame destinés à la publicité d’entreprises locales soient offerts à
un coût inférieur à 50 % du tarif publié pour les panneaux lumineux; et
que
·
les
panneaux-réclame destinés à la publicité d’entreprises locales soient offerts
en quantité unitaire.
Documentation
1. Deputy City Managers’ joint report (Public
Works and Services and Planning, Transit and the Environment) dated 21
August 2008 (ACS2008-PWS-DCM-0001).
2. Extract of Draft Minute, 3 September 2008
(available in English only).
Documents
1. Rapport conjoint des Directeurs municipaux
adjoints (Services et Travaux Publics et Urbanisme, Transport en commun
et Environnement) daté le 21 août 2008 (ACS2008-PWS-DCM-0001).
2. Extrait de l’ébauche du procès-verbal, le
3 septembre 2008 (disponible en anglais seulement).
Report to / Rapport au :
Comité des transports
and Council / et au Conseil
21 August 2008 /
le 21 août 2008
Submitted by / Soumis par: R.G. Hewitt, Deputy City Manager / Directeur
municipal adjoint, Public Works and Services / Services et Travaux Publics,
and / et
Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager
/ Directrice municipal adjointe, Planning, Transit, and the Environment / Urbanisme, Transport en commun et
Environnement
Contact
Person/Personne ressource : Gary Craig, Manager / Gestionnaire,
Strategic Initiatives and Business
Planning / Initiatives stratégiques et
Planification opérationnelle
(613) 580-2424 x 19037, Gary.Craig@ottawa.ca
SUBJECT: |
Integrated Street
furniture Program - Guiding PrincipLEs and work program |
|
|
OBJET : |
PROGRAMME INTÉGRÉ DE MOBILIER URBAIN – PRINCIPES
DIRECTEURS ET pROGRAMME DES TRAVAUX
|
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Transportation Committee recommend Council:
1.
Approve in
principle the guiding principles outlined in this report as the basis for the
development of an Integrated Street Furniture Program (ISFP), to be developed
in consultation with the community and best practice research;
2.
Direct staff to
report back in Q1 2009 on the results of public consultation, recommended
policy and the specific elements and criteria that will form the basis of the
Request for Proposal (RFP);
3. Direct
staff to ensure that unsolicited proposals are not accepted from proponents
until the formal procurement process has been established. Further, that any formal or informal
communication from potential proponents be included in the formal public
consultation.
4.
Approve one time
funding in the amount of $275,000 to be funded from the City Wide Capital
Reserve Fund to meet the requirements necessary for the development of the ISFP
as outlined in this report.
RECOMMANDATIONS DU
RAPPORT
Le Comité des transports recommande au Conseil
:
1.
de
donner son accord de principe aux principes directeurs énoncés dans le présent
rapport en tant que fondement pour l’élaboration d’un Programme intégré de
mobilier urbain (Integrated Street
Furniture Program, ou ISFP), lequel sera préparé en consultation avec la
collectivité et après consultation de la recherche en matière de pratiques
exemplaires dans ce domaine;
2.
de
demander au personnel de faire rapport au début de 2009 sur les résultats de la
consultation publique, sur la politique recommandée et sur les éléments précis
et les critères qui serviront de base à la demande de proposition;
3.
d’enjoindre
au personnel de s’assurer de ne pas accepter de propositions non sollicitées
provenant d’auteurs de propositions, et ce, tant et aussi longtemps que le
processus officiel d’achat n’aura pas été établi. D’autre part, le personnel
devra aussi s’assurer que toute communication officielle ou non officielle
d’éventuels auteurs de proposition est incluse dans le processus de
consultation publique;
4. d’approuver
un financement unique au montant de 275 000 $, lequel proviendra du Fonds
général de réserve pour immobilisations à portée générale en vue de répondre
aux exigences nécessaires à l’élaboration de l’ISFP tel que décrit dans le
présent rapport.
This report is intended to
provide details on the development of an Integrated Street Furniture Program
for the City of Ottawa that, if approved, will see the creation of a common
approach and set of guiding principles for the provision of various street
furniture elements beginning in 2010.
Street Furniture is a collective term used to describe functional elements installed on roadways for various purposes. The range of elements considered street furniture can include, but is not limited to, amenities such as waste and recycling bins, benches, bus shelters, bicycle racks, newspaper boxes, information kiosks, banners, and floral displays. It can also include other infrastructure elements such as street lighting, trees, telephone booths and advertising pillars.
Over the past several years, Council has been approached with a number of unsolicited proposals related to advertising on street furniture. These individual proposals have been rejected in favour of direction to staff to create an Integrated Street Furniture Program.
In 2006, Council considered a
staff report entitled: “Integrated Street Furniture RFP Framework” ACS2006-PWS-SOP-0002
at its 23 August and 13 September meetings and approved the following
recommendations as amended:
1. Engage in a public
consultation process on the guidelines for street furniture prior to the
development of the RFP criteria, and report to Transportation Committee for
approval.
2. In the
preparation of an RFP for the City’s integrated street advertising program,
consider:
a) Newly
emerging technologies and the public service possibilities offered by use of
electronically based technologies, and that those considerations at least
include additional consultations with the industry regarding the possibilities.
b) That any street advertising
/ litter-recycling / street furniture RFP not include panels set at right
angles to movement on sidewalks and sized such that such movement is severely
compromised, as typified by the proposed EUCAN panels.
c) That the
length of term of the agreement contained in the RFP guidelines be set at 10
years.
3. Amend
Document 1 to reflect the current policies governing bus advertising.
4. That Council delegate to the Deputy City
Manager, Public Works and Services, the authority to negotiate, finalize and
execute all necessary documents and/or amendments to the existing contracts
with Clear Channel Outdoor Company Canada and Creative Outdoor Advertising for
contract extensions as outlined generally in the staff memo to Council (page 27
refers) dated September 8, 2006 (and including any necessary legal and
procurement provisions) to provide for synchronized contract termination dates
and an integrated street furniture program commencing in 2010.
In accordance with Council direction the following actions have been undertaken to date:
The purpose of this project is
to develop an Integrated Street Furniture Program (ISFP), which will establish
a common approach and set of guiding principles for the provision of various
street furniture elements required by the City of Ottawa beginning in 2010. It
is intended that these services will meet the needs of street users such as
pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and motorists as well as the needs of
adjacent land uses including retail, residential, and institutional land uses.
Project Scope
In particular, the scope of this program will be to examine advertising and service opportunities with the following elements of street furniture:
The consultation with Council and external stakeholders will provide feedback in order to determine which furniture elements advertising will be permitted on, the restrictions on quantity, size and locations in order to offset the capital and operating costs of providing the desired services.
At this time, this project is focusing solely on the design of the program and procurement process leading to the awarding of a contract. The project will not include in its scope items related to implementation and management of the contract. Recommendations related to implementation and management of the contract will be made and brought forward in a future report as required.
Currently, the City
derives approximately $ 1.07 million in yearly street furniture advertising revenue,
$340,000 in yearly cost avoidance funded by the providers instead of the City,
and a one-time savings of $2.1 million
in capital cost savings given the service provider has installed at their cost
transit shelters, litter bins and bicycle racks. One of the guiding principles
of the ISFP is to expand the on-street furniture program, which may come with a
corresponding increase in revenue to the City.
The full potential dollar value of this is unknown until such time as
the proposals are evaluated through the procurement process.
There are three components to
the ISFP: a policy document, design guidelines, and a Request for Proposal. In
order to accurately reflect Council’s direction and intent, staff recommend
that Council approve in principle the guiding principles that will form the
basis of expectations for the ISFP program. The first three principles reflect
current best practices for on-street furniture advertisement:
In the discussion surrounding the August 23rd and September 13th, 2006 Transportation Committee report titled “Integrated Street Furniture RFP Framework” (ACS2006-PWS-SOP-0002), Councillors have indicated that the following are also important principles to be reflected in the ISFP:
Through the principles approved
by Committee as well as public consultations and research, the program will
determine the most appropriate balance of principles that best reflects the
interests of users. The intent is to
achieve the correct balance between levels of commercialization on streets
while achieving the benefits of an externally funded program to provide
required street furniture elements. The ISFP provides the opportunity to
coordinate the amount and locations of advertising, while at the same time
enhancing service and improving our streetscape.
Recommendations will be made as part of the overall program on the utilization of the revenue received from the use of the City’s right of way. A number of options will be explored such as support for Transit, general revenues, and streetscape improvements that will be brought forward in a future report.
A variety of North American cities have been successful in developing street furniture programs that has been offset with significant savings through contractual arrangements with advertising proponents. Staff has completed preliminary research on programs in Toronto, Vancouver, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York City. All have indicated similar principles and have quoted the following as their overall objectives:
- To provide their residents and visitors with amenities to increase the liveability of the city
- Encourage active street life
- Improve the appearance of the streetscape
- Improve and enhance service
- To provide an opportunity to reduce the total amount of advertising while simultaneously increasing its overall value and revenue for the City
- Coordinating the placement of advertising on street furniture to make streets more attractive
- Achieving a higher level of service and maintenance at no cost to the City.
One municipality’s street furniture program, for example, completed an exercise in securing furniture elements through an RFP process that included transit shelters, litter / recycling receptacles, benches, multi-publication structures, information / wayfinding structures, postering / neighbourhood information pillars, public washrooms and bicycle parking units. Advertising however was restricted to only transit shelters and the information pillars.
Various existing internal
policies and procedures will be examined to inform the preparation of the ISFP,
such as the development of a Special Streets Design Policy, Community Design
Plans, the Downtown Urban Design Strategy and its implementing area plans,
accessibility and advertising policies, labour relations and union contracting
issues to name a few.
Timelines
Given the present contract awards, timing is critical in achieving the expected results for an integrated street furniture policy, design and RFP. The estimated milestones for this program are as follows:
· September 2008 - Approval of guiding principles and funding
· December 2008 - Public consultation complete
· January 2009 - Report to Transportation Committee / Council on recommended policy, results of public consultation and recommended elements to be included in RFP
· February-March 2009 - Development of RFP
· April 2009 - Issue RFP
· August 2009 - Award contract
· July 2010 - Installation of street furniture begins
Based on previous supplier feedback, it is anticipated that installation of new street furniture for a project of this scale would take place over a 1-3 year period from awarding of contracts.
Additional Resources
Due to the complex nature and size of this
program additional external technical expertise will be required to complete
tasks within the pre-established timetable. Specifically funding will be
required for the following program related expenditures:
Ø
Stakeholder Communications
Ø
Consultation facilitation and tools
Ø
Design consultation
Ø
Policy consultation
Ø
Business Case Analysis
Currently, a Fairness
Commissioner has been retained to ensure a fair and transparent process with
industry proponents. Ongoing requirements for this service are included in the
financial implications sections of the report.
CONSULTATION
Consultation with external stakeholders will be a key success factor to the development of this program. The following identified stakeholders will be invited to participate in focus group discussions:
· Business Improvement Areas (BIA),
· Community Associations,
· National Capital Commission (NCC),
· Tourism industry representatives,
· Current and potential proponents,
· The design and technology community,
· Arts and cultural groups,
· General public.
Due to the length and breadth of this policy and RFP development, a temporary stakeholder advisory panel will be formed to provide input into the development of the communication approach. This group will be made up of representative(s) from the above identified stakeholder groups.
In addition, City Advisory Committees will be consulted, specifically:
· Accessibility Advisory Committee,
· Business Advisory Committee,
· Environmental Advisory Committee,
· Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee, and
· Roads and Cycling Advisory Committee.
The focus for the consultation will be directed into the following areas:
· Guiding Principles. Feedback on the set of guiding principles which will support the formation of the policy and eventual RFP. This will cover aspects such as discussion on the amount of advertising that is acceptable.
· Street Furniture Elements and Design. Determination of street furniture elements to be included in the RFP, the design and location of the elements, and what services can and should be provided.
Consultation will also serve to provide direction on what the advertising revenue will be used for after covering capital and operation costs in addition to identification of needs for future furniture element expansion.
· Procurement. This consultation, mainly with potential proponents and industry experts, will serve to guide the revenue expectations, ad location, design options and all other elements related to the RFP and procurement process.
Consultation with Proponents
As previously stated,
a number of unsolicited proposals have been received from proponents for
potential street furniture contracts. A
Fairness Commissioner has been retained and given the process identified in this
report; it has been recommended by the
Fairness Commissioner that any proponents submitting unsolicited
proposals be advised that proposals will not be considered until the formal
procurement process is put in place. All proposals will be received at that
time and all must follow the outlined procurement process in order to be
included in the evaluation in order to ensure a fair and equitable process.
As outlined above
there will be a formal consultation process built in for the potential
proponents. An Expression of Interest
will be placed on Merx in September requesting that any interested parties make
themselves known to the City in order to be included in the formal consultation
process. The Fairness Commissioner has recommended that any formal or
informal communication from potential proponents be directed to the formal
public consultation process in order to ensure a fair and transparent process.
Council will be apprised of developments through regular communiqués and memos throughout the two- year process leading up to July 1, 2010. Council will also be invited to participate in consultations that will be undertaken as part of the program’s consultation strategy.
CITY STRATEGIC PLAN
Although not specifically identified in the
City Strategic Plan, the ISFP supports the transformation priority of
sustainable finances identified in the City Strategic Plan. This priority speaks to fiscal
responsibility and financial sustainability and highlights new sources of funding
and techniques are secured to ensure growth pays for itself.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Based on the
experience of other municipalities, the cost to retain the resources required
for hiring consultants on the, policy, design documents, and RFP preparation is
estimated to be $275,000.
No funds
are available in the PTE and PWS 2008 Budget for the costs of developing the
policy and design guidelines along with the RFP preparation as identified in
the Draft Integrated Street Furniture Program report. The requested funding would represent a one-time capital cost to
the City in order to complete the specified work. Subject to Committee and
Council approval, one-time funding from the City Wide Capital Reserve Fund
would be required.
Subject to approval of this report, the project team will commence the development of the Integrated Street Furniture Program as described and will engage appropriate external resources to achieve the deliverables identified.
Transportation committee Report 21 10
september 2008 |
|
Comité des transports rapport 21 le 10 septembre 2008 |
Extract of draft minute 23 3 september 2008 |
|
extrait de l’ébauche du
procès-verbal 23 - le 3 septembre 2008 |
Integrated
Street furniture Program - Guiding PrincipLEs and work program
PROGRAMME INTÉGRÉ
DE MOBILIER URBAIN - PRINCIPES DIRECTEURS ET pROGRAMME DES TRAVAUX
ACS2008-PWS-DCM-0001 CITY WIDE / À L'ÉCHELLE DE LA VILLE
Gary Craig, Manager, Strategic
Initiatives and Business Planning, gave a detailed overview of the report. A copy of his presentation is held on file.
David Gray, President, Creative
Outdoor Advertising
spoke in support of local advertising and recommended ensuring that this
program include local advertisers. He
made note of the fact that local advertising is local businesses that use
street furniture to advertise (approximately 600 individual local businesses in
Ottawa). Local advertisers have a
defined format and pay a different price because they are local; if the
national format is used in this program, the local businesses will lose out
because it is too expensive. He
emphasized therefore, how critical it was to ensure that such advertisers have a
place on the street because they generate a lot of revenue for the City (33% to
that which the City receives). As part
of the guiding principles, Mr. Gray asked the Committee to instill that both
markets that currently use the advertising be considered in the ISFP. A copy of his presentation is held on file.
Responding
to questions raised as a result of these comments, Mr. Craig confirmed it was
staff’s intent to include both and is why they want to have consultations with
all stakeholders, including proponents.
He added that this would be part of what staff would be bringing back to
the Committee in January. Councillor
Bloess was confident this would be an issue raised by the BIAs.
When asked
whether there was anything in the current guideline that would protect the
local element, Mr. Craig explained that they have not gone to that level of
detail but would take that into consideration.
Councillor Legendre indicated his intention to put forward a Motion to
address this particular concern.
Councillor Bédard asked whether this
particular issue (national and local advertisers) would be sorted out when the
bids are submitted in response to the RFP.
Mr. Craig preferred to get that matter dealt with in the January report
because the RFP should reflect whether or not and how much the City wants to
recognize locally-based advertising in the program. The councillor believed the City should provide for locals to
advertise, but felt it would come out anyway if there is more money to be made
by providing for that business. Mr.
Gray indicated that if there is a bid from a national firm, while the local bid
might be worth $300K a year, a firm like Creative Outdoor Advertising cannot
compete with a firm that only bids national.
He was not suggesting the City wants to do that, but instead, suggested
that the government indicate the importance of having local panels in Ottawa,
in addition to the national panels. He
recommended that the guiding principles state that the City wants to have an
advertising venue available for nationals, but in order for locals to consider
an RFP response or bid, they also want to see a venue for their local business.
Mr. Hewitt advised that
this is a critical issue and would be looked at during the consultation
period. In January, staff will report
back on the recommended policy results of the public consultation as well as
the recommended elements to be included in the RFP. He anticipated that through that consultation, staff would find
the nuances that will allow them to balance the revenue generating side and the
service side. Eventually, Council would
make that decision as to what balance they are looking to achieve and if local
is important (as he expected it would be), it will come through loud and clear
from a number of different sources.
Staff would ensure that that is reflected in the January report. When asked whether the Committee should pass
a Motion or give direction to staff to ensure this is addressed, the Deputy
City Manager indicated he would take that as direction.
Councillor Legendre
preferred it be a Motion as opposed to direction to staff.
Councillor
Bédard questioned the timing of the implementation (new program would not be
implemented until 2010) and inquired what happens between now and then. He explained that he has been waiting for
three years to get litter bins on a section of Montreal Road and has been
repeatedly told he would have to wait because there are no bins available,
there is no money in the budget to purchase more and even if some could be
provided, there is no operating and maintenance budget available. He found it quite unsettling that the
Committee is being asked to approve an expenditure of $275,000 to hire a
consultant to look at putting more garbage cans on the streets. When asked whether bins would not be
available until the end result of this study, Mr. Craig advised that what is
being proposed will replace what is on the street and to come up with a new contract to deal with
various elements; provision of additional receptacles, et cetera, would need to
be the subject of a budget discussion.
The
councillor asked if contract extensions could be offered until 2010 and staff confirmed this could be done, but it becomes a budget issue
in terms of cost recovery. The
councillor further inquired whether or not it is the contractor that
determines where the street furniture goes and the Deputy City Manager advised that this would be done in consultation with
staff and the contractors. He explained
that all locations have been through a process of approval. He recognized this is an awkward period at
the moment, but explained that it is a lengthy process and has a potentially
higher dollar value. The City is at the
tail end of the current contract, and there is not a lot of interest by those
involved in enhancing services if they are not to be involved in the contract
at the end of the process. He suggested
staff could bring that to them, but indicated they are struggling to keep the
level of service even acceptable now.
Councillor
Bédard expressed frustration that he may have to wait until 2010 to get more garbage cans and John Manconi, Director of Surface Operations
suggested that the councillor could wait for this program, or put forward a
direction to staff to increase the appropriate budgets. When asked how much would be required to
increase the budget to address this problem, the Director indicated staff could
bring back some estimates in time for Council’s consideration of the 2009
budget. He cautioned Committee members
however, that there are difficult issues that would need to be addressed,
including the number of bins, whether it would be on a ward-by-ward basis,
whether or not the bins have advertising, et cetera. He confirmed that garbage bins are a core service and there are those
without advertising. He suggested staff
could bring back some options, but at the same time, he did not want to
compromise the principles laid out in the report i.e., maximizing revenue and
service, et cetera.
Councillor Leadman had
some concerns about the use of the term “common elements” when describing what
the street furniture would look like.
She was concerned it would go against that which the BIAs and community
design plans have put in place to create a unique location and feel for a
particular community. She was also
concerned about ‘visual clutter’ and contractors putting in street furniture
without consulting. She wanted to know
how this would impact the bins the BIAs purchased themselves. Responding to these concerns, Mr. Craig
provided the following information:
·
Staff want to look at ideas for changing the look of
what the City currently has
·
The “common look and feel” does not mean destroying
the look and feel of a unique area; rather, they are trying to have a common
look for all street furniture i.e., bike racks, bus shelters, et cetera, but it
would blend in with the area without detracting from it
·
Staff would be consulting on this in working with stakeholders
and contractors; they will bring the draft elements back to the Committee for
review
Councillor Bloess wondered what
staff would do if they found they are unable to meet those expectations if the
consultations cannot be completed in December.
While he advised that staff are working to complete the consultation
within the set timeframe, Mr. Craig offered that should they be unable to
complete it, they would advise accordingly as part of their report to the
Committee in January. He further
confirmed that the next report would also discuss how to maximize revenues vs.
service.
Councillor Legendre recognized there
is not only an issue of a shortage of litter bins, but also the physical
clutter caused by numerous vending boxes being situated together. He recalled the e-mail he had sent to the
Deputy City Manager dated 30 July which spoke to this and other issues, but which
had not been addressed in the staff report.
The councillor was pleased to hear from staff that this program would
address the issue of physical clutter because in some situations, it would
appear that the City has lost control of some of it’s public space. Ernest McArthur, Legal Counsel confirmed
that the municipality has not lost control of it’s public spaces and that it
can dictate how they are to be used.
The councillor went on to suggest
that the RFP needs to be absolutely clear what it is the City can achieve with
this program and that if there are to be contracts for the collection of
recyclables, the system should be set up in such a fashion that contamination
of that stream does not occur by people putting garbage in a bin that is
clearly marked for recycling. He asked
that between now and the issuing of the RFP, staff analyze the ability to
generate a benefit, or abandon it. Mr.
Craig advised that staff will work to determine how best to achieve that, so
people will have an expectation that if they are putting a glass container in
the stream to be recycled, that it would be.
The councillor suggested that even if the City cannot achieve it, it
should go with the best thing and achieve what it can.
Following on previous comments made
about visual identity, Councillor Bédard inquired about heritage areas and
wanted confirmation that the current approach will respect that the furniture
can be tailored to specific areas. Mr.
Craig confirmed that this was staff’s intent and in consultation with stakeholders. Responding to a question posed by the
councillor, Mr. Manconi added that the current on-street recycling bins were
the result of a pilot begun by the former City of Ottawa and the intent of this
program is to bring those together with bus shelters/benches and litter bins
and to give them all a common look.
Councillor Leadman asked who removes
the garbage from the private bins in the City and was advised by Mr. Manconi
that this is done by the contractor as the advertising company has an obligation
to service those units. When asked
whether staff intend to use the revenues generated from this program to expand
the program, Mr. Craig advised that that would be one option, noting that the
expectation is that if the program is expanded, there would be accompanying
revenue to offset that expansion. He
confirmed that the majority of that revenue received from advertising comes
from transit shelters and these monies are used to offset the cost of transit
services.
When asked whether staff had a plan
with respect to where they want to expand the program, Mr. Craig advised that
staff did not, but that this would be addressed through the consultation
process. He confirmed that the January
report will outline what the parameters of service and advertising are and
while the stakeholders are internal (staff), he assured the Committee there
would be BIA representatives that will want to discuss their plans for this
program and a consolidation of that consultation is what will be reflected in
the January report.
Councillor Leadman found the amount
recommended for a consultant ($275,000) to be quite expensive and wanted more
financial clarification on that amount and whether or note the funds are
available. Mr. Craig confirmed that the
amount was based on what other municipalities have spent and the monies would
come from the City-wide reserve fund.
Councillor Legendre introduced the
following Motion:
WHEREAS
local business is an important part of the City’s economy;
AND
WHEREAS local business currently uses the City’s street furniture as a
necessary mechanism for advertising;
AND
WHEREAS the Integrated Street Furniture program has identified a series of
principles to guide RFP development;
THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED that the guiding principles of the Integrated Street Furniture
Program include accessibility for local business advertising by requiring:
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be 25% of the ad space under the ISFP,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be limited to less than 1.25 sq. meters,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be unlit,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be offered at a cost that is less than 50% of the
published rate for lit panels, and,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be offered in single unit quantities.
When asked to comment on the Motion,
Mr. Hewitt explained that in general, he appreciated the issues brought forward
and confirmed that staff would examine those during the consultation
process. However, was concerned about
the arbitrary nature of that in terms of the absence of what might be learned
by consulting and that having specific per centages at this early stage could
potentially lead the City in a different direction that otherwise would have
occurred. Mr. Craig added that staff
are not at this level of detail and suggesting using the bullets as the basis
for consultation, with a view to asking if those are appropriate amounts, et
cetera. This could then be reported to
the Committee in January.
When asked to provide clarification
on the intent of his Motion, Councillor Legendre explained that the City is
currently at the stage of starting the public consultations and if staff learn
there is a problem with what is being put forward in the Motion, it can be
amended before the RFP is released. The
Chair suggested a slight amendment to the Motion to change the words “by
requiring” to “by including”.
The councillor accepted this amendment and following a brief discussion
with the Deputy City Manager, made an additional amendment to include following
those words, “for consultation”.
Councillor Bédard felt the Motion
was too technical and would be too restraining and preferred that the bullets
be dropped from the Motion, so that it would end as follows:
THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED that the guiding principles of the Integrated Street Furniture Program
include accessibility for local business advertising.
While he respected the councillor’s
concerns, Councillor Legendre explained that whether or not the figures were
right or wrong, would be part of the consultation process and could be amended
accordingly. He posited that it at
least offers some specificity to the consultation and people would
respond. He urged Committee to reject
the Bédard amendment.
Councillor Bédard reminded the
Committee that there was only one delegation that spoke and suggested there
could well have been others that might have suggested different numbers. He argued that his Motion would leave it
open so everyone can have their say; he did not want staff to come back and say
that 25% is not the right amount; he wanted them to tell Committee what the
percentage is that the industry should be.
Moved by G. Bédard
That
the Motion be amended to read as follows:
WHEREAS
local business is an important part of the City’s economy;
AND
WHEREAS local business currently uses the City’s street furniture as a
necessary mechanism for advertising;
AND
WHEREAS the Integrated Street Furniture program has identified a series of
principles to guide RFP development;
THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED that the guiding principles of the Integrated Street Furniture
Program include accessibility for local business advertising.
LOST
YEAS (3): R. Bloess, G. Bédard, M.
McRae
NAYS (3): J. Legendre, D. Thompson,
C. Leadman
Moved by J. Legendre:
WHEREAS local business is an
important part of the City’s economy;
AND
WHEREAS local business currently uses the City’s street furniture as a necessary
mechanism for advertising;
AND
WHEREAS the Integrated Street Furniture program has identified a series of
principles to guide RFP development;
THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED that the guiding principles of the Integrated Street Furniture
Program include accessibility for local business advertising by including, for
consultation:
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be 25% of the ad space under the ISFP, and that,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be limited to less than 1.25 sq. meters, and that,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be unlit, and that,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be offered at a cost that is less than 50 % of the
published rate for lit panels, and that,
·
That advertising panels intended for local
business advertising be offered in single unit quantities.
CARRIED, with G. Bédard dissenting
That the Transportation Committee
recommend Council:
1. Approve in principle the guiding principles outlined in this
report as the basis for the development of an Integrated Street Furniture
Program (ISFP), to be developed in consultation with the community and best
practice research;
2. Direct staff to report back in Q1 2009 on the results of
public consultation, recommended policy and the specific elements and criteria
that will form the basis of the Request for Proposal (RFP);
3. Direct staff to ensure that unsolicited proposals are not
accepted from proponents until the formal procurement process has been
established. Further, that any formal
or informal communication from potential proponents be included in the formal
public consultation.
4. Approve one time funding in the amount of $275,000 to be
funded from the City Wide Capital Reserve Fund to meet the requirements
necessary for the development of the ISFP as outlined in this report.
CARRIED,
with C. Leadman dissenting on Recommendation 4