Belleville Community Services Department

Key Initiatives

Building Condition Assessment

The Government of Ontario enacted Ontario Regulation 588/17 “Asset Management Planning for Municipal Infrastructure” in January 2018 to
guide the manner in which municipalities plan for their infrastructure. The Regulation outlines a number of deadlines for municipalities.

In support of the collection, organization, and analysis of data and deliverables that are required by July 1, 2025, the City issued a Request for
Proposal in August seeking a Consultant to complete detailed building condition assessments (BCAs) for all City owned facilities. The purpose
of this project is to gather a comprehensive data-set related to condition, replacement value, compliance with applicable legislation, and
recommended lifecycle maintenance and renewal activities and costs. It is also to identify and recommend a high-quality asset management
and capital planning software solution for the City which, ideally, could also be utilized for non-facility assets such as roads, piping networks, etc.

• Timeline: Council approved the vendor selection for the building condition assessments on Nov. 14, 2023. The project formally started on
  Dec. 20, 2023 and is expected to be completed by October 2024.
• Strategic Plan Theme: Infrastructure
• Budget: 2023 Operating Issue #D4-3 ($295,000)

Meyers Pier EA

In collaboration with Engineering and Development Services, conduct an Environmental Assessment (EA) on Meyers Pier and the various options for addressing its infrastructure deficiencies.

• Timeline: 2024-2025
• Strategic Plan Theme: Infrastructure, Destination City
• Link to Budget: 2023 Capital Project #1.069 ($750,000)

Policy Development

Implement an RZone (respect) policy (code of conduct) to guide staff and clients on appropriate behaviours and responses to inappropriate
behaviours.

• Timeline: 2024
• Strategic Plan Theme: Community Health, Safety and Security
• Budget: Resources included within existing Community Services budget

Goals & Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Strategic

The Community Services Department will continue to collaborate with the Finance Department to update the City’s Asset Management Plan
and, working with the engineering consultant, complete building condition assessments for each municipal facility before the end of 2024.

• Key Performance Metric & Measurement: Completion of the building condition assessment report and integration into 10-Year Capital Plan
  by Dec. 31, 2024.

Operational

Departments will continue to develop operational initiatives throughout the year and work with the City’s Departmental Performance Standards
Committee to develop SMART Key Performance Indicators to properly evaluate performance and provide reliable, relevant, and accountable
performance metrics to the community

Performance

Department Plans and their performance reports were first introduced in the 2024 Operating Budget. Performance will be published in 2024 once sufficient data is collected to accurately assess the department’s performance and provide meaningful insights.

The specific metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to measure performance are unknown at this time.

Budget

The proposed 2024 Community Services Operating Budget is $19,785,900 in gross expenditures and $14,733,500 in net expenditures supported
from the general tax levy. This represents a 6.81% increase over the 2023 budget.

In 2024 budgeted expenses have grown in the Community Services department largely in general labour and benefit costs as well as due to the annualization of positions. Additionally material and contract costs for Recreation facilities have increased above inflationary levels, and particularly so in facility utility costs. Revenue increases are also being forecasted due to suggested rate increases, as well as contract revenue adjustments keeping overall net expenditures for the department lower than would otherwise occur.

Achievements

2023

During its inaugural year, Community Services attained significant achievements in 2023, including:

• Initiated strategic and operational planning for the new Community Services Department, which guided the first phase of restructuring that involved the merging of Facilities and Property Management into a single, re-organized division.
• Initiated a comprehensive review of user fees for recreation, parks, meetings, events and cultural programs and services.
• Initiated a Museum Needs Feasibility Study as recommended by the Glanmore Strategic Plan.
• Procured the services of an engineering firm to conduct building condition assessments on all municipal facilities in 2024 as required by the Asset Management Plan.
• The design of a new accessible washroom at Glanmore National Historic Site was completed in preparation for construction in 2024.
• 2,500 items were digitized and added to the Internet Archive in 2023.
• An autonomous trash drone was procured and delivered for operation in the Harbour and marinas.
• Two new electric Zambonis have been ordered for the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre.
• Glanmore National Historic Site celebrated 50 years as a museum and 140 years since construction. In addition to experiencing the highest attendance in the last 10 years, it was also voted “Best of the Bay” in two categories: Best Museum and Best Historic Site.

Team

The Community Services department is made up of a team of 267 full and part-time staff members who provide a variety of services for the community:

• Director – Dean Hustwick
• Director’s Office – Executive Assistant, Administrative Assistant (2)
• Facilities Management – Events, Mechanical, Pools & Custodial Services, Properties, Harbour (62)
• Museum Services – Education & Marketing Coordinator, Exhibit Development Coordinator, Administrative
  and Collections Assistant, Museum Technician, Weekend Receptionist (6)
• Recreation Services – Bookings & Rentals, Client Services & Marketing, Crossing Guards, Programs (196)

Responsibilities

Recreation, Culture and Community Services was renamed the Community Services Department. While the mandate of the new department is evolving, it is essentially a clientfocused provider of accessible and quality front-line programs and services.

Currently at its core are the following three operating Divisions:

• Cultural Services – The City’s Culture Services Division is comprised of two sections that provide cultural leadership and front-line delivery of services to Belleville residents and visitors: Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County and Museum Services.
• Facilities Management – The Facilities Management Division is responsible for building maintenance for more than 100 City facilities with more than one million square feet of space, including City Hall, the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre, fire halls, community centres, marinas, Belleville Library, Kinsmen Pool, splash pads, and many others. It also manages marina operations and custodial services for various municipal facilities.
• Recreation Services – The Recreation Services Division manages a complex array of recreational programs and services across the City and is
  comprised of four sections: Programs which include Recreation Programs, Aquatics Programs and Skating Programs; Bookings and Rentals;
  Marketing and Client Relations; and their School Crossing Guard Program.

Governance

Municipal guiding documents and plans as well as legislation that govern the work of the Community Services department:

• Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25 – Governs the powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Municipality. It also imposes
  requirements on municipalities in relation to retention and provision of access to municipal records.
• Canadian Museums Association’s Ethics Guidelines – Promotes a climate of integrity, assists individuals who must make,
  and act upon, decisions of an ethical nature and provides the public with insights into museums and the individuals associated with them.
• Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42) – Establishes copyright as a type of legal protection for people who express ideas and information in
  certain forms.
• Glanmore National Historic Site Strategic Plan – Aligned with the City’s Strategic Plan to guide the future of museum services for the City.
• Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56) – To provide a right of public access to information and
  to protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves and their right to access that information.
• Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada (Parks Canada Guide) – A tool from Parks Canada to guide
  decisions that will give historic places new life while protecting their heritage value.
• Standards for Community Museums in Ontario (Ontario Museum Standards) – Outlines the minimum requirements for the operation of a
  good community museum, which must be met to qualify for funding under the Community Museum Operating Grant.
• Asset Management Plan – Utilized to effectively manage and derive value from existing and new
  assets to deliver services at expected levels to the community.
• Navigable Waters Act – Includes protections for navigation on all navigable waters in Canada.
• Occupational Health and Safety Act (R.S.O. 1990, c. O.1) – The legal framework to protect workers from health and safety hazards on the job.
• Building Code (O. Reg. 332/12) – Governs the construction, renovation, change of use, and demolition of buildings, amongst other things.
• Electrical Safety Code (O. Reg. 164/99) – Describes in detail the standards for electrical installations, products and equipment in Ontario.
• Fire Code (O. Reg. 213/07) – Provides provincial requirements for fire safety in all building types.
• Technical Standards and Safety Authority – Ontario’s public safety regulator for Elevating & Amusement Devices, Ski Lifts, Fuels, Boilers &
  Pressure Vessels and Operating Engineers.
• Parkland and Recreation Master Plan – Designed to establish a comprehensive multiyear framework which provides guidance for municipal investment to enhance the City’s parkland and recreational assets and services.
• Public Pools Ontario Regulation (R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 565) – Regulates public pools and all buildings, appurtenances and equipment used in the
  operation of public pools.

Trends

Legislative/Governance

• Asset Management planning for municipalities (O. Reg 588/17) provides requirements, framework and deadlines to complete Asset
  Management Plans. The municipality is diligently working towards Legislative deadlines and will continue to improve and realize value from
  the implementation of improved asset management strategies and planning.

Economic

• Some recreational programs have not yet returned to pre-pandemic attendance numbers, which will continue to impact operations and
  revenue.
• Rising prices and global supply chain challenges are increasing operating costs and extending maintenance and capital project timelines.
• The rising cost of living is negatively impacting disposable incomes, which could also negatively impact recreational and cultural program
  revenue in 2024.

Technology

• Cloud-based visitor services (e.g., ticketing, etc.) and digitization and digital preservation of records, artifacts and other items is a growing
  priority for improved on-line access.
• Technology-powered accessible and immersive experiences (AR/VR/Audio Tours/Digital Displays/Social Media /Hybrid Programming) are
  growing in demand.
• Artificial Intelligence content creation and user generated content are evolving quickly (“Instagrammable” backdrops).