Title
Engineering Design Standards Variance Requests
Proposed Motions
1) That Council receive the Engineering Design Standards Variance Report as information and,
2) That Council approve the amendment to the 2015 Departmental Fees and Charges - Engineering Services - Schedule C, to include Engineering Design Standard Variance Requests fee of $1,200.00 per application plus associated costs.
Body
Administration Recommendation
Administration recommends that Council review the report, and receive it as information as well as approve the amendment to the 2015 Departmental Fees and Charges - Engineering Services - Schedule C.
Purpose
To inform Council that Administration has developed a process for stakeholders to put forward requests for variances to the County's adopted Engineering Design Standards. In addition, Administration has also developed a process to update an existing standard as new or changing information becomes available such as technological advances, environmental policies, best practices or other changes to design standard philosophies. The amendments to the Fee Schedule are to cover administrative costs of considering major variances that require extensive time and/or to cover costs of engineering consulting fees, legal fees and/or other related costs.
Summary
Effective January 1, 2015, the County will require all design and construction projects to adhere to updated engineering standards adopted early in 2014. These standards were developed and circulated with various stakeholders and for the most part, were well received by the County's partners through this process. One of the requests coming out of stakeholder consultation was a request for a formal process to challenge the standard, or request variances to the standards. Administration has prepared a few amendments to the Engineering Design Standards that will outline a process as to how a variance request may be forwarded for review including what can be expected upon submission of a variance request regarding review timelines, communication formats and classification of variances (i.e. Minor vs Major). Administration anticipates that a component to the this variance process will allow for consideration of specific amendment to existing standards (based on the outcome of the variance request) or the development of a new standard based on the same consideration of a variance request.
Administration proposes to add two new sections to the Engineering Design Standards under the heading "General Conditions". One section will be "Section 1.11 - Variances to Engineering Design Standards" and the other will be "Section 1.12 - New and/or Amended Engineering Design Standards". The proposed sections have been attached for reference.
For applications that are considered to be a "Major" variance, Administration will apply a fee as a component of their submission, as identified within Section 1.11.2. The new fee to be included within the Departmental Fees and Charges will be included under Engineering Services - Schedule C, as attached. It is expected to cover the costs of the time and effort it will take Administration to review and provide response to the major variance requests. The amount will be $1,200.00 per variance request including any direct costs incurred by the County to process an application, such as consulting fees, legal costs and/or third party perspectives. Fees are not expected to be applicable for submissions with an obvious omission or oversight within the existing standards. We anticipate that, from time to time, there will be variance requests submitted as interim solutions while Administration develops a new standard or amends an existing standard to meet current demands, environmental requirements, advancements in technology or other such challenge. Fees will not be applied under these circumstances either.
The new sections, Section 1.11 and Section 1.12, will be in effect starting January 1, 2015. This timeline coincides with the implementation timeline of the updated Engineering Design Standards.
Strategic Plan/Policy/Legal/Staff Implications
Economy - Establish an environment that attracts businesses and allows them to succeed.
Governance - Develop effective communications strategies that advance the interests of the County, its residents and its stakeholders.
Infrastructure - Preserve, maintain, and upgrade existing infrastructure to maximize its life expectancy.
Financial Impact:
Cost: $0.00
Source of Funding: n/a