Summer Break

I'm taking a break from blogging and will be back at it after Labour Day. Have a great rest of the summer!

Langley RCMP Series: There has been talk over the years about a regional police service. What do you think of that approach?

There is a lot of information about the Langley Integrated RCMP Detachment online; some of it is true and some of it, not so much.

In this video series, I answer questions I've heard from people in Langley City.

Langley RCMP Series: Can you expand a bit about the public safety concerns of having an independent RCMP for Langley City and another for the Township?

There is a lot of information about the Langley Integrated RCMP Detachment online; some of it is true and some of it, not so much.

In this video series, I answer questions I've heard from people in Langley City.

Langley RCMP Series: What would be the benefits and challenges of having an independent RCMP for Langley City and another for the Township?

There is a lot of information about the Langley Integrated RCMP Detachment online; some of it is true and some of it, not so much.

In this video series, I answer questions I've heard from people in Langley City.

Langley RCMP Series: Can the Township de-integrate the RCMP without provincial approval?

There is a lot of information about the Langley Integrated RCMP Detachment online; some of it is true and some of it, not so much.

In this video series, I answer questions I've heard from people in Langley City.

Langley RCMP Series: Based on your understanding, what are the Township's main concerns about the current policing agreement?

There is a lot of information about the Langley Integrated RCMP Detachment online; some of it is true and some of it, not so much.

In this video series, I answer questions I've heard from people in Langley City.

Langley RCMP Series: What are the three agreements that govern the integrated Langley RCMP Detachment?

There is a lot of information about the Langley Integrated RCMP Detachment online; some of it is true and some of it, not so much.

In this video series, I answer questions I've heard from people in Langley City.

Langley RCMP Series: Can you give a brief history of the RCMP in Langley?

There is a lot of information about the Langley Integrated RCMP Detachment online; some of it is true and some of it, not so much.

In a series of videos, I answer questions I've heard from people in Langley City.

July 29 Council Notes: Budget Surplus Policy, School Sites, and Crime Severity Index

In most BC municipalities, August is free of formal Council meetings. Langley City Council's last meeting before this August break was on July 29th. At that meeting, we address three items.

Like most municipalities in BC, Langley City needs to increase its investment in infrastructure to ensure that we are appropriately renewing our roads, water mains, sewer lines, parks, and public facilities. Over the years, Langley City Council has been increasing the property tax allocated to infrastructure projects to ensure we more adequately fund infrastructure renewal. This gap is sometimes known as infrastructure debt.

Two significant parts of our City's budget are ongoing operations and one-time capital projects. An example of ongoing operations is funding our firefighters. An example of a one-time capital project is the renewal of Douglas Rec Centre to add additional childcare spaces.

Provincial law requires that municipalities have balanced budgets, so we must budget conservatively. This requirement means we generally have a surplus of operations funding at the end of the year. Staffing vacancies, variable revenue from redevelopment, and unexpected revenue from other levels of government create surpluses. Our surpluses have ranged from $160,000 to $5,300,000 since 2015. These surpluses are unpredictable. By convention, we have transferred any surpluses to our one-time capital project reserve accounts, which are like savings accounts. We didn't have a formal policy for this practice. Council asked staff to create a formal policy earlier this year. At the July 29th meeting, Council formalized this practice by adopting "CO-83: Allocation of Operating Budget Surpluses." As I noted earlier, we want to reduce our infrastructure debt, and every little bit helps.

The City has various reserve accounts, just like you might have different savings accounts for various purposes. Council asked that staff create a new reserve account where we put our surpluses to increase transparency and allow us to allocate these funds to specific projects.

Langley City is part of School District #35, which also includes the Township of Langley. Over the years, redevelopment projects in Langley City have contributed over $2 million to the school district to acquire land for new schools. These new sites have all been in the Township of Langley. You can read more about this in a previous post. The short of it is that City Council formally objected to the latest 2024 Eligible School Sites proposal. After some discussion with the Chair of the School Board over two weeks, Council approved the 2024 Eligible School Sites proposal and will be working with the School District over the next year to identify a new school site in Langley City. This site would be included in a future Eligible School Sites proposal.

Finally, City Council has been working with other municipalities on the Crime Severity Index and reducing its misuse. Council approved issuing a press release, which you can read more about on the City's website.

The next Langley City Council meeting will be on September 9th.

Langely City Proposed 2025 RCMP Increases. Creating a Bat-Friendly Community.

Some people consider bats a nuisance, but they are a critical part of the ecosystem on the South Coast. They control pests, pollinate plants, and disperse seeds. Some bats have traditionally depended on humans to provide shelter spaces (an old barn or area under a bridge), but these spaces are becoming less and less.

The good news is that people are working to restore bat populations in BC, such as through the Bat Friendly Communities program from Community Bat Projects of BC.

Langley City's volunteer-driven Environmental Sustainability Committee recently recommended to Council that Langley City become bat-friendly certified. Langley City Council approved this recommendation at its July 22 meeting.

This approval means that the City, in partnership with the Committee, Langley Environmental Partners Society, and Langley Field Naturalists, will:

• Protect, create or enhance habitat such as by building bat homes
• Provide information about bats to the public
• Promote learning about bats such as by having community presentations or holding a bat-house building workshop

Example of a Bat Condo. Source: Community Bat Projects of BC

Because the federal government partially funds the Langley Integrated RCMP detachment, we must submit an "approval in principle" to help the federal government budget for the RCMP as its budget cycle occurs before municipal budget cycles. While most of the RCMP budget is outside of municipal control, we can control the number of RCMP members.

Langley City is proposing a maximum increase of RCMP members (officers) by 2 for a total of 56.35 members. Langley City's portion of the budget would be capped at $16,985,818. This increase would be $1,478,974, or a 10% increase from this year. Council may decide not to increase the RCMP members or only add one additional member as we go through our 2025 budget process, but we need to provide the feds with the maximum spending scenario.

On July 22, Council approved this "approval in principle" budget. At the same meeting, Council received our Langley RCMP Quarter 2 Summary Report, which you can read on the City's website.

Langley City Retail Recreational Cannabis Store Policy. Public Consultation This Fall

Brick-and-mortar retail recreational cannabis stores are nothing new in Metro Vancouver. Every municipality in BC can choose if recreational cannabis retail is allowed, where it can be operated, and the number of stores. In the South of Fraser subregion, Delta, the Township of Langley, and White Rock have retail recreational cannabis stores. The City of Surrey recently enabled a policy framework to permit retail cannabis stores.

Currently, Langley City does not permit retail recreational cannabis stores. However, Council is exploring a policy that, if approved, would allow Council to consider allowing such stores in our community.

As one of the last municipalities in Metro Vancouver to consider allowing retail recreational cannabis stores, staff have developed a draft policy based on best practices and lessons learned from other municipalities that now have retail recreational cannabis stores.

Langley City staff propose that recreational retail cannabis stores be allowed in our commercial areas subject to the following restrictions:

• Located at least 200 metres away from a school
• Located at least 100 metres away from childcare centres (on the same street)
• Located at least 20 metres from a park, plaza, playground, recreation or community centre
• Located at least 1 kilometre from another recreational retail cannabis store

The following map shows where retail recreational cannabis stores could be allowed. If approved by Council, this policy would allow a maximum of three stores in our community.

Preliminary Land Use & Locational Criteria Map. Select the map to enlarge.

To prevent a mad dash for retail recreational cannabis store applications, the City would hold a time-limited window where perspective retailers could apply to the City. City staff would consider up to three applications for Council to consider based on the following:

• Compliance with our retail recreational cannabis store policy
• Retailer experience
• Parking and access plan
• Visibility, lighting, and Crime Prevention Through Environmental
• Design, signage, and storefront façade

On July 22, Langley City Council approved allowing City staff to seek public feedback on this proposed policy this fall.

You can read the entire draft policy on Langley City's website.

Langley City Moving Towards Universal Design and Access

Langley City should be a community where people's physical or mental abilities do not restrict their ability to travel around the city, use our facilities, access city services, or participate in the democratic process. Proving full access for everyone is sometimes called universal design and accessibility.

Today, there are gaps in Langley City that limit people's access. The Langley Advance Times recently ran a story on the challenges that people who are visually impaired face when navigating our community. Langley City Council is committed to closing these gaps.

The provincial government requires that all municipalities have Accessibility Committees and an Accessibility Plan, which outlines how we will identify, remove and prevent barriers. Langley City has an active and engaged Accessibility Committee, and they recently recommended that Council approve a full audit of our built environment, facilities, programs, services, human resources department, and existing plans through the lens of universal design and accessibility.

The built environment includes streets, bus stops, sidewalks and parks.

The comprehensive audit will show where the City is doing well and where we need to improve. After the City completes the audit, we will work together with the Accessibility Committee and people who face access barriers to develop a prioritized action plan to reduce barriers.

The Accessibility Committee also asked that the City require the audit to be informed by people whose physical or mental abilities limit full access in our community today. There is a saying, "Nothing for us, without us."

This audit is estimated to cost $80,000 to complete. City Council fully supported including this audit in our budget and ensuring the principle of "nothing for us, without us" during its development.