Notice of Motion from May 21, 2024 — Planning and the establishment of a DCC for a new Fire Station #1 (Councillor Guiry) — Supporting Report

Supporting Report for the Notice of Motion from the regular Council Meeting on May 21, 2024

Title: Planning and the establishment of a DCC for a new Fire Station #1

WHEREAS the 2022 Langford Fire Rescue Fire Master Plan recommends for “LFR to begin the process of securing funding with City approval to then enter the design phase for a new Fire Station #1 to consolidate resources from Fire Station #1 and Fire Station #3” as a short-term recommendation that would improve emergency response service delivery in Langford;

And WHEREAS in 2023 the Province of BC amended Bill 46 to expand what can be levied by Development Cost Charges to include fire protection which would share the cost of new fire protection infrastructure equitably between existing users and new development;

THEREFORE, the City of Langford Council directs staff to start planning for a new Fire Station #1 as recommended in the Langford Fire Rescue Fire Master Plan and establish a DCC Bylaw to support the building and development of the new fire station.

Introduction:

During the 2024 Budget Committee of the Whole meetings, recent provincial changes to Bill 46 were discussed as to how they might affect deliberations and decisions on the budget. The expanded scope of Development Cost Charges (DCCs) to include fire protection was discussed as the Langford Fire Rescue (LFR) Master Plan outlined the establishing a new Fire Station #1 as a short-term priority. While the 2024 budget discussions focused on the staffing of Fire Hall #2 as an immediate priority, it was established that direction to start planning for a DCC to support the planning and development of a new fire hall would not impact this year’s budget. A conversation about fiscally planning for a new Fire Hall would be appropriate in the months after budget discussions had concluded.

Background:

In the 2022 Budget, Council included funds for a LFR Master Plan and later Emergency Management Group Inc. was awarded a contract through an RFP process to complete the work. This master plan was a comprehensive review completed by a third party of the current capacity of the fire department and determined the future needs of the organization. The completed LFR Fire Master Plan was presented to Council at Committee of the Whole on February 27, 2023. The master plan outlined seventy-two recommendations over 12 sections including a section on facilities. While staffing was identified as the most immediate concern in the master plan, designing a new Station #1 was also identified as a short- term objective to be completed in future years.

In the publication, “Development Cost Charge, Guide for Elected Officials” (2005) the Province of BC outlines the following,

“It is widely accepted that growth, when facilitated by good planning, benefits communities and their economies. local governments have come to recognize, however, that the accommodation of growth is not a cost-free exercise. Growth creates demands for the construction of new infrastructure, and the expansion of existing local services. The cost of meeting these demands is often substantial and, at times, beyond the ability of local governments to fund using existing financial resources. The development industry understands that growth creates new demand for local government infrastructure and services. the industry also understands that local governments are not able to directly absorb all growth- related service costs, and that growth itself should assist in funding service needs. a range of development finance tools has been created to enable local governments to collect from development a portion of growth-related expenditures. Development cost charges (DCCs) represent one such tool.”

In the fall of 2023, the government of BC amended Bill 46 to expand the services that may be funded by DCC’s. Where previously local governments were limited to roads, sewer, waterworks and drainage, the services where DCCs can be used to help offset costs now also include fire protection, police, solid waste, and recycling industries. Given that the LFR Fire Master Plan has outlined a significant project in a new Fire Station #1 there is an opportunity to fiscally plan for this growth with the development of a new DCC.

Rationale:

Since the completion of the LFR Fire Master Plan, the priority of LFR to date has been the staffing of Fire Hall #2. Since the LFR Fire Master Plan outlined long-term planning for the organization, there is an opportunity to consider the next goal of planning and design of a new Fire Station #1. The Province of BC has given municipalities a capacity for fiscally planning for fire protection through a DCC. There are significant benefits for starting this planning now. Early planning allows the city to accommodate the future needs of the community to accommodate growth and early planning also means long-term savings for taxpayers. Setting aside funds now spreads the savings over a longer period which means less year over year impact on taxes than if we waited as generally costs increase over time. Similarly, spreading the DCCs over a longer period means the impact on any individual development would also be less as it is spread over more years and the development community would have more certainty over costs and financing.

Strategic Plan Initiatives:

6h Implement the recently developed Fire Master Plan

Submitted by: Councillor Kimberley Guiry

References:

• 2022 Langford Fire Rescue Fire Master Plan: https://langford.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20230227-COW-Agenda-4.3-Fire-Department-Master-Plan.pdf
• Development Cost Charge, Guide for Elected Officials: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/local-governments/finance/dcc_elected_officials_guide_2005.pdf