For City of Langley Regular Council meeting of September 11, 2023.
Please note these are not the official minutes, but rather, highlights of items approved by Council and do not reflect all items considered by Council at the meeting. Council Meeting agenda is available here: https://langleycity.ca/cityhall/city-council/council-meetings. For more information, please contact kkenney@langleycity.ca or pkusack@langleycity.ca
Arts, Culture, Recreation & Heritage Committee - Heritage Railway Project
Council approved a recommendation from the City's Arts, Culture, Recreation & Heritage Committee to move forward with the Local Langley City Railway History Signage Project.
Amendments to Living Wage Policy for City Employees and Contract Instructors Policy CO-75 and Living Wage Policy for Service Providers and Sub-Contractors Policy CO-76
Council approved amendments to the City's Living Wage Policy for City Employees and Contract Instructors Policy CO-75 and Living Wage Policy for Service Providers and Sub-Contractors Policy CO-76 to clarify eligibility for the living wage adjustment for Casual employees that work more than 120 hours of work per year and to increase the threshold value of service contracts that require the service contractor to be a living wage employer from $50,000 to $250,000.
Council then directed staff to develop a Fair Wage Program for consideration and implementation commencing 2024.
Asset Management Planning Program Grant Application
Council endorsed the “UBCM 2023 Asset Management Planning Program” grant application for the City’s “Development of Asset Management Plan and Levels of Service Framework” project, the purpose of which is to outline the desired levels of service for all classes of City assets.
Bus Rapid Transit Corridor on 200 Street to Proposed 203 Street SkyTrain Station
Council passed the following resolution that will be forwarded to to TransLink's Mayors' Council:
"1. WHEREAS TransLink and the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation unanimously endorsed the Access for Everyone Plan (also called Transport 2050: 10-Year Priorities) in 2022 to urgently expand and improve transit throughout Metro Vancouver to support record-setting population growth, housing affordability, GHG emission reduction targets and reconciliation;
2. WHEREAS the Access for Everyone Plan places a strong emphasis on quick and cost-effective, delivery of new at-grade rapid transit through nine new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors throughout the Region;
3. WHEREAS the Access for Everyone Plan identified a new BRT line along 200 Street, terminating at the 203 Street Skytrain Station and Transit Exchange to enhance livability and transportation in the City of Langley and supports future Transit Orientated Development that is suited to rapid transit and will facilitate new housing and employment opportunities around the new SkyTrain corridor as well as the BRT;
4. WHEREAS BRT requires the allocation of road space and reconfiguring of roads for successful implementation;
5. WHEREAS Municipalities are the primary administrators of local and regional roads in the region and will be crucial partners in the successful implementation of future BRT corridors;
6. WHEREAS TransLink and the Mayors’ Council are currently undertaking a prioritization exercise to determine the order in which BRT corridors will be implemented that emphasizes a ‘work with the willing’ approach so that first phase of BRT projects can be built quickly and to a high quality, with maximum support from municipal and other local government partners, to serve as a showcase for this type of rapid transit to the rest of the Region;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,
THAT the City of Langley supports a BRT line featuring dedicated bus lanes, transit signal priority, enhanced customer amenities at stations and specialized vehicles to support fast, reliable, high-quality rapid transit to along the 200 Street BRT route terminating at the 203 Street Skytrain Station and Transit Exchange;
THAT City of Langley support for this project will include:
• Working with TransLink to finalize and sign a Bus Rapid Transit Action Plan Commitment Framework to partner with TransLink to expeditiously achieve a high quality BRT corridor;
• A commitment to deliver a BRT with near continuous exclusive transit lane along the length of the corridor, achieved primarily through reallocation of existing road space;
• Support for prioritizing transit, including willingness to reallocate space from parking, changes to property access, turn restrictions, and transit signal priority;
• Willingness to allocate, resources, and in-kind support;
• Appointing a BRT “Council champion,” a BRT internal staff lead, and dedicated staff team to support the project through all phases;
• Willingness to expedite processes, permits and approvals, and to co-lead and support public engagement;
• Aligning local plans and policies to support Transit Oriented Communities and implement supportive infrastructure including walking and cycling networks.
THAT City of Langley direct staff to work expediently with TransLink and coordinate with adjacent municipalities towards the planning, design and implementation of BRT within the municipality;
THAT City of Langley ask the Mayors’ Council to prioritize the 200 Street BRT route and having the 200 Street BRT terminate at the 203 Street SkyTrain Station and Transit Exchange as a Tier 1 priority BRT project, based on the municipality’s readiness to support the project."
Council then passed a motion that staff notify TransLink of the City of Langley’s endorsement of BRT and the integration with the proposed 203 Street SkyTrain Station and Transit Exchange.
CKF Inc. - Request for Letter of Support
Council approved issuance of a letter of support for CKF's capital investment project in the Langleys.