The city clerk’s department scanned and filed more than 3,000 digital records during the first quarter of 2019, as part of a project to organize and file municipal archival material.
Of those records scanned and filed, 1,200 of them have already been archived, according to a departmental report. The report also notes that the project is likely to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year.
The activities of every city department during the first quarter of this year was presented during city council’s May 13 regular meeting. Councillors were able to ask each department questions about some of the data presented in the reports.
To review the first-quarter report of each department, click here.
Archives
The extensive digitizing work that staff in the city clerk’s office have done is impressive, said Mayor Fraser Tolmie. He understood that this project is to modernize record-keeping and clean up files.
“That is a huge undertaking,” he added. Not only was council celebrating a new land deal in the industrial park, it will also be able to celebrate this project once it is completed.
Project tenders
Coun. Heather Eby was curious about how tenders for the water reservoir project are distributed. A contractor approached her wondering if these types of projects are being tendered or awarded differently than in the past. She was told the municipality used to buy parts for projects and then looked for the contractors to work on them.
Josh Mickleborough, director of engineering services, was unsure of the previous history of how tenders were awarded since he hasn’t been with the city that long. However, he pointed out a procurement strategy is in place to deliver the best value to the municipality.
“Certainly a popular tool is to use a general contractor, particularly a project is of a certain size and risk,” he said.
It seems to be more expensive to look for general contractors, noted Eby. Mickleborough replied there has been a move to general contracting for much of the municipality’s work, but that is not an approach that is exclusively used.
Customer service
Coun. Scott McMann was impressed that the engineering department was able to resolve, on average, 94 per cent of the concerns that residents had and called about. Some concerns were 100-per-cent resolved — around solid waste — while the department resolved 88 per cent of concerns around roadways.
McMann also observed that of the 547 concerns the department received about roads, 63 of those complaints were outstanding or on hold. He wondered what concerns residents had about this area.
Most concerns are about potholes and how they are filled, said Mickleborough. The department uses both hot and cold mixes to fill potholes; it will have to develop an appropriate procedure so staff know type to use when filling such holes.
Paving roads
City council had budgeted $2.6 million for the paving of roads this year, said Coun. Brian Swanson. However, the engineering department’s report says more than $1.2 million had been awarded so far for a project. He wondered if an additional road paving contract had been awarded yet.
A contract had been awarded, Mickleborough replied. The updated total would likely be reflected in later quarterly reports.
The next city council meeting is Monday, May 27.
