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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFND-011-13 Clarftwn REPORT FINANCE DEPARTMENT Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: September 9, 2013 Resolution#: 11-1 By-law#: Report#: FND-011-13 File#: Subject: TAX AREA ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENTS RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report FND-011-13 be received; 2. THAT renovations to the Tax Area in the Finance Department be approved at an approximate cost of $175,000; and 3. THAT the accessibility renovations be financed from the following sources: General Municipal Reserve Fund- $100,000 General Capital Reserve- $50,000 (new); and General Capital Reserve- $25,000 (already committed). Submitted by: Reviewed by: Nancy T y or, B K,6 PA,CA, Franklin Wu, Director of Finance/Treasurer Chief Administrative Officer NT/hjl CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 REPORT NO.: FND-011-13 PAGE 2 1. BACKGROUND 10 As Council has observed, the configuration of the tax area is currently based on a raised floor design with custom millwork workstations and plexi- glass/steel barriers between the public and the tax customer service staff The existing configuration is based on an "L" shaped area with wickets wrapping around the north and east Several of the tax customer service wickets are located behind the general customer service reception desk, creating difficulty with customer line-ups and visibility 1 1 The tax counter had been redesigned with security in mind years prior to the current identified need to address accessibility issues The philosophy at the time was actually extremely different due to the climate at the time whereby customer service areas dealing with a large volume of payments were designed to be imposing and to clearly separate the "cashiers" from the public While security features are still necessary, there are other options to ensure security without sacrificing accessibility and customer service 1 2 As Council is aware, the tax customer service area serves the greatest number of clients in the Municipal Administrative Centre and yet provides very poor visibility and accessibility to clients Those with any physical limitations have a great deal of difficulty navigating the current setup and are in many cases, not visible to the open customer service staff Once they have made it to the wicket, they are faced with high counters and very limited counter space to assist them in the necessary activities to transact their business with the tax staff 1 3 Also, due to the L shaped design, there are often lineups at the north side and a client entering the building from the south entrance will walk directly to the first available wicket on the east side, entirely circumventing the lineup process to the great frustration of those who have patiently waited It is very difficult for customers to determine which wicket is open 2. OTHER CONCERNS 20 Because of a series of violent incidences in the Municipal tax environment province wide, the area was redesigned approximately 15 years ago As mentioned above, the professional recommendations at the time, including architects, auditor recommendations and bank design were to incorporate height into the design to the greatest extent possible As a result, the floor is raised, but also the individual workstations are higher than the normal work surface height and other somewhat awkward configuration exists 21 As a result, there is currently a WSIB issue directly related to the poor design of the area from an ergonomic perspective Temporary accommodation is REPORT NO.: FND-011-13 PAGE 3 being employed but cannot reasonably be continued for an indefinite period of time due to the impact upon customer service 22 The problems with the tax counter area have been more pronounced as time goes by Also, timing with construction is a critical concern for the department Large portions of the year are not feasible from a construction standpoint due to installment due dates. The area must be open to the public during all mayor due dates in order to accommodate the volume of customers served The due dates cannot be modified to any degree as the public understanding and awareness of these dates are widespread and any deviation will cause widespread confusion and potential difficulty with late payment charges 23 The most favourable construction window is October to December The area would be completely shut down for an approximate four week window when alternate temporary relocation in the Municipal Administrative Centre will be determined At least 10 staff would be impacted during this time period 24 A proposed design and engineering drawings have been underway through a local architect as this component is well below the requirements under the purchasing by-law The proposed design would shift the tax customer service wickets entirely to the north and the accounting workstations would be relocated to the east and south sections of the tax area The floor would be lowered back to the normal elevation The wickets would be designed to provide wheelchair access for the public 3. ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 3 1 The goal of the design is to upgrade the existing areas to provide compliance with Section 3 8 of the Ontario Building Code Act as amended January 2012 and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) The principle goal is to improve accessibility for the general public at the tax customer service counter and for staff with physical limitations Once the drawings are available, the Accessibility Advisory Committee will undertake a review of them to ensure compliance with the AODA 4 CONCURRENCE - Not applicable REPORT NO.: FND-011-13 PAGE 4 5. CONCLUSION 51 Subject to Council's approval, a tender for the construction will be issued immediately in order to try to meet the construction window, likely November/December 2013 The estimate cost for the completion of the project is $175,000 52 Approximately $25,000 is currently set aside in the General Capital Reserve that can be utilized for this project It is recommended that an additional $50,000 of funding be provided from this reserve with the balance of the $100,000 recommended to be financed from the General Municipal Reserve Fund 53 This project represents a significant opportunity to improve accessibility at the customer service area serving the greatest number of clients and the public at the Municipal Administrative Centre It addresses significant current problems and is recommended at this time due to the difficult construction window timeframes encountered when levels of customer service must be maintained CONFORMITY WITH STRATEGIC PLAN The recommendations contained in this report conform to the general intent of the following priorities of the Strategic Plan (Place an "X" in the box for all that apply) Promoting economic development Maintaining financial stability Connecting Clarington Promoting green initiatives X Investing in infrastructure Showcasing our community Not in conformity with Strategic Plan Staff Contact Nancy Taylor, B B A , CPA, CA, Director of Finance/Treasurer Attachments None List of interested parties to be advised of Council's decision Clarington Accessibility Advisory Committee