3.1.1 Kettle Creek Conservation Authority Environmental Services

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1 HOW DOES THIS SERVICE COTRIBUTE TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE I THE CITY OF LODO? The desired population results in the City of London s Strategic Plan: A Strong Economy, A Vibrant and Diverse Community, A Green and Growing City, A Reliable Infrastructure, A Caring Community KCCA ensures the conservation, restoration and responsible management of water, land and natural habitats throughout the Kettle Creek Watershed, benefiting seven member municipalities and an approximate watershed population of 70,000. KCCA promotes an integrated watershed approach balancing human, environmental and economic needs for best results. KCCA supports a Green and Growing City. Areas of programs and services include: Protection and Enhancement of Water Quality KCCA monitors water quality and quantity, biota and benthic invertebrates throughout the watershed to protect and enhance water quality. Kettle Creek outflows to Lake Erie, the source of drinking water to 100,000 people in London, the City of St. Thomas and Elgin County and a major source of tourism revenue. Environmental Planning KCCA regulates development in flood prone areas, providing planning support and advice to municipalities to minimize the impacts of natural hazards such as flooding and erosion. Land Conservation KCCA preserves and manages 528 hectares of land including the Kirk Cousins Management Area, designated a Provincially Significant Wetland and an Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) by the City of London. Each year since 2006 the Authority partners with landowners to plant 100,000 trees in an effort to restore the watershed s forest cover to 30%. Flood ing and Warning KCCA operates and maintains two dams and a state-of-the-art flood forecasting and modeling system issuing flood warning and alerts to residents living within the floodplain. Ice and snow is also monitored to provide more precise modeling and forecasts to municipal staff and emergency services. Environmental Education and Recreation KCCA operates two self-sufficient campgrounds and a variety of day-use facilities providing bird watching, fishing and canoeing opportunities and 34 km of walking/hiking trails allowing the public to connect with their natural surroundings. Environmental Education programs that are aligned with Ontario s curriculum provide learning opportunities through interactive activities such as those offered at the London-Middlesex Children s Water Festival and the Carolinian Forest Festival. Page 1 of Business Plan

2 # Staff Cost per Household BASIC FACTS 2012 Approved Gross Budget ($000) 2012 Approved et (Tax/Rate- Supported) Budget ($000) 26 $2.10 $351,659 $351,359 ame the main activities done to provide this service: How much did we do? (statistics - optional) 1. Environmental Monitoring 180 sampling events at 55 monitoring stations throughout the watershed 4 Level One Low Water Conditions declared in the past 5 years and one Level Two Overall watershed grade trending upwards to C+ in 2011 from C- in 2008 Five year update of the Watershed Report Card will be released in Flood ing and Monitoring Average of 6 flood warnings per year protecting over 278 structures in the floodplain and 585 residents Is this service provided by someone other than City staff? (Yes/o/%) 3. Forestry and Stewardship 100,000 trees planted per year for the last seven years (since 2006) An average of 9,000 trees planted in the City of London in the past three years KCCA has planted 68% (15,968 of 23,348) of the total trees planted in the City of London s One Million Tree Challenge On average 67 landowners receive $255,000 in grants to reforest 50 hectares of land per year Leveraging $10,000 in stewardship grants to landowners to undertake erosion control, wetland creation and well decommissioning projects 4. Environmental Planning On average staff review 100 planning and development applications and issue 40 permits for development, interference with wetlands and alterations to shorelines and watercourses 5. Education and Awareness 4,000 children reached per year through Children s Water Festival and Carolinian Forest Festival 6. Recreation 34 km of passive hiking trails Page 2 of Business Plan

3 2 campgrounds attracting over 10,000 visitors and on average $55,000 in profit per year TURIG THE CURVE Turning the curve is changing the direction of a trendline on an important measure of performance Tree Planting (How much did we do?) 60% 40% 20% 0% % of Landowners Planting 1,000 trees or more per year (Is anyone better off?) 100% 50% 0% % of Impaired Streams in the Watershed (Is anyone better off?) Employment Grants (How well did we do?) Page 3 of Business Plan

4 Campground Average et Profit/Loss (How well did we do?) THE STORY BEHID THE CURVES Tree Planting/Stewardship KCCA s current forest cover is 14.7% %; to achieve the 30% forest cover required for biodiversity KCCA needs to plant 100,000 trees for the next 95 years For the last five years KCCA has achieved the target of planting 100,000 trees under a $165,000 a year contract with Ontario Power Generation The current contract with Ontario Power Generation expires in 2013; to maintain the 100,000 trees per year target, $165,000 will need to be secured or else the amount of trees planted per year would be reduced to 45,000 or lower The number of landowners planting 1,000 trees or more has increased since 2007 and continues to grow. This means larger tracts of land are being re-planted better contributing to the overall goal of increasing forest cover and biodiversity The number of landowners planting 1,000 trees or more is also increasing due to KCCA s efforts to secure additional funding through the Trees Ontario s 50 Million Tree Program Tree plantings are targeted along watercourses to increase riparian buffers contributing to enhancement of habitat and stream health. Efforts are being recognized in the lower percentage of impaired streams in the watershed Further reduction in the percentage of impaired streams can be achieved through targeted stewardship efforts. Using revenue generated from KCCA s campgrounds, KCCA is undertaking projects beginning in 2012 that will reduce erosion and sedimentation along the waterways in the watershed. These projects will help to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering the creek and will have a positive impact on water quality Despite growing public demand for stewardship and environmental education services, provincial transfer payments are expected to remain stagnant or decline. KCCA s ability to deliver its tree planting and stewardship programs is dependent on a 4% average increase in municipal levy. Any change in sustainable funding such as municipal levy or the Authority s provincial transfer payment would result in a significant reduction or elimination of these services as funds would have to be diverted to core programs and services. Employment Grants 11 full-time staff currently deliver programs and services that 12.5 full-time equivalent staff did in A further reduction in staff levels would jeopardize the ability to deliver core programs and services Additional salary savings have been achieved through range and wage freezes; however this is unsustainable due to uncontrolled increases to OMERS, CPP, and EI in addition to inflationary Page 4 of Business Plan

5 and merit requirements for staff retention. The costs associated with advertising, hiring and retraining one staff person can be in excess of $7,000 In order to control salary expenditures and maintain current staffing levels, KCCA has aggressively pursued employment grants for seasonal employment in the campgrounds as well as field support staff through a variety of Provincial and Federal grant programs In 2011, KCCA received $43,297 in employment grants, up from $16,176 in 2007 While a total of $35,755 was required for salary increases to offset mandatory fringe benefit adjustments and merit increases after a two year freeze the total increase to London levy was $13,000. The difference was achieved through aggressively targeting government employment programs and cost containment measures including increased fundraising efforts Campground Average et Profit/Loss o municipal levy is used to offset the operation and maintenance of KCCA s two campgrounds- Lake Whittaker Conservation Area and Dalewood Conservation Area Savings achieved through the above-noted employment grants as well as an investment in infrastructure expanding the number of 30-amp campsites and other cost containment measures have resulted in an average profit per year of $55,000 Campground profits are re-invested in campground infrastructure to ensure a revenue stream in the future with no impact to municipal levy Campground profits are also used to offset deficits in core programs and are a major funding component to KCCA s stewardship program that has been identified by the public as a priority through community-based watershed strategies STRATEGIES AD ACTIO PLAS TO TUR THE CURVE Briefly explain the strategies and action plans you will undertake in the next 5 years to improve effort, efficiency, effectiveness and economy, including at least one no-cost/ low-cost strategy. Who are your partners and what is their role? Work with Conservation Ontario to maintain Ministry of atural Resources transfer payments for core mandated programs (flood forecasting, environmental planning) which may be in jeopardy as a result of the Provincial budget. KCCA s current transfer payment has been frozen at $119, since 1997 KCCA will continue to work with member municipalities to identify funding opportunities and partnerships for tree planting and stewardship initiatives. In 2012, KCCA partnered with the Municipality of Central Elgin to introduce a tree planting program for landowners interested in obtaining small quantities of trees at an affordable rate. This is a cost effective way for municipalities to introduce a tree planting program for their residents KCCA has partnered with neighbouring Elgin and Middlesex CAs to submit joint funding applications for stewardship projects Cost containment efforts continue in 2012/2013 with staff exploring increased participation in the Elgin Middlesex Oxford Purchasing Co-op Action Plan Tree Planting/Stewardship Maintain target of planting 100,000 trees per year to achieve 30% forest cover staff to reapply to Ontario Power Generation for contract extension beyond 2013 and solicit other funding Page 5 of Business Plan

6 sources Funding proposals have been submitted to leverage $10,000 in base funding to establish on the ground projects to improve water quality in the KCCA watershed; a target of 5 projects set for implementation in 2012 Campgrounds Internet reservation software was introduced in 2011; as more individuals move to on-line booking, a further reduction in staffing and telephone expenses is expected A further investment in campground infrastructure is planned upgrading 15-amp sites to 30- amp sites making KCCA campgrounds more attractive to larger RVs. A reduction in marketing costs will be pursued by combining visitor information (fees, maps, rules) into one conservation area guide; cost of printing and layout to be recouped through sold advertisements Employment Grants Continue to target employment grants to curb salary costs and provide employment opportunities to the local community General Objectives Objectives for the 2012 budget include maintaining service levels consistent with 2011 while enhancing capacity to generate more revenue through self-generated means. While a total of $35,755 was required for salary increases to offset mandatory fringe benefit adjustments and merit increases after a two-year freeze, the total increase to London was only $13,000. Funding from the provincial government for core mandated programs has been frozen since 1997 at $119,652 and is in jeopardy as the Ministry of atural Resources faces its own financial pressures Under these funding constraints, continued pressure for a 0% levy increase is unsustainable without jeopardising the current level of service Any change to the average levy forecast of 4.0% would detrimentally affect the ability to sustain many programs including tree planting, stewardship, environmental monitoring, and educational opportunities as funds would have to be diverted to core mandated programs. A projected levy increase of 4.0% is a status quo business case and is dependent on the results of how the Ministry of atural Resources implements a three-year plan to balance their budget after operating with a $50 million per year deficit. ACCOMPLISHMETS AD STORIES Accomplishments, successes, improvements to efficiencies, economy and effectiveness in the last 12 months and stories of people who have been positively impacted by your Service. KCCA initiated a social media campaign in 2012 to distribute job postings and advertise programs and services rather than more expensive traditional print based mediums KCCA currently has 94 Twitter followers, 26 Likes on Facebook after only two months The OBB method of analyzing benthic samples is now employed by in-house staff rather than out-sourced BioMap services a cost savings of $5,000 a year 2012 was the first year of on-line campground reservations; as this service increases, decreased staffing expenses and telephone expenses are expected Paperless board and staff meetings were introduced resulting in a yearly costs savings of $5,000 Page 6 of Business Plan

7 in printing and delivery expenses Through a variety of employment programs, KCCA has reinstated previously eliminated temporary staffing positions such as an environmental monitoring assistant at little to no cost KCCA hosted its first ever Public Open House; a chance for the public to ask questions directly of staff and provide feedback on KCCA s programs and services. Deemed a success a similar outreach event is planned for 2012 KCCA s Administration Centre was retrofitted with maintenance free siding and a new barrier free access was added to the front entrance Public Feedback The environment is our most precious resource. The tree program promoted by Kettle Creek Conservation Authority has allowed me, the landowner, to be a positive steward for future generations. The willingness of the KCCA and the professionalism of its employees have both encouraged and supported my efforts. Brian Robinson planted over 7,000 trees with KCCA and Winner of the 2009 Central Elgin Growing Together Environmental Award Thanks again for all the great (tree planting) work that was completed at the (W12A) landfill The result looks fantastic!...i look forward to future planting endeavours together. City of London staff Just wanted to say thank you so much for the greening Central Elgin program The value of this program is second to none in my eyes. Congrats on the success of this program and we plan to encourage it much more at the Port Stanley Village Association next year if you would do it again! Eric Salin, Resident of Port Stanley The (Carolinian Forest) festival was well organized and definitely a benefit to our students Teacher, CC Carrothers Public School, London 54% of people who submitted a Have Your Say, London! Budget 2012 Survey were not willing to reduce the level of Conservation Authorities services to achieve a 0% budget. 62% of people who submitted a Have Your Say, London! Budget 2012 Survey wanted the service level of Conservation Authorities to be maintained or increased over OTHER KEY MEASURES Description of measure # of completed stewardship projects in addition to tree planting sites (CA provincial average is 27) 2. Maintain/Improve on Overall Watershed Benchmark Grade of C- established in 2008 ; progress reports from show a C- C- C C+ C+ C+ positive trend upwards. ext full Watershed Report Card due in Maintain or Increase Self-Generated 45% 50% 51% 51% 55% 55% Page 7 of Business Plan

8 Revenue to a minimum of 50% of total budget (in percentage) MEASURES UDER DEVELOPMET What important performance measures have you identified for which you do not currently collect the data? Over the next 12 months KCCA hopes to compile a customer satisfaction survey to help gauge the community s level of satisfaction with our program and service delivery. The survey would afford us the information to answer the question Is anyone better off for each one of our programs and services. Page 8 of Business Plan