Surrey city council on Monday approved "in concept" a proposed charter for the city that would provide city hall with "additional powers, responsibilities, and exemption" aimed at "appropriately" addressing Surrey's size and diversity.
A corporate report that came before council on Sept. 9 – authored by Surrey's general manager of finance Kam Grewal, city solicitor Philip Huynh and Ron Gill, general manager of planning and development – recommended that council direct staff to work with the provincial government to take "all necessary steps to develop, draft, and enact" the charter.
Coun. Mandeep Nagra asked city manager Rob Costanzo about next steps. Costanzo replied the mayor will write the premier requesting that the provincial government work with the City to develop a "comprehensive" charter.
"We want to ensure that we have the same types of benefits that the City of Vancouver experiences through their own charter," Costanzo explained, with approval anticipated within the next six months.
"Assuming that the Province will be receptive to moving forward with permitting a Surrey Charter," Costanzo told council.
Mayor Brenda Locke had called for the charter in July, reasoning it would "enable greater autonomy for the city." She noted that Surrey's population is poised to surpass Vancouver's by 2029 and yet continues to be governed by the same legislation that applies to most B.C. municipalities "regardless of their size."
What a Surrey Charter would do is provide the city with exemptions from provincial housing legislation that would give council discretion to keep single-family residential zones as opposed to automatically permitting up to six dwelling units as required by provincial legislation and be able to hold public hearings for residential rezoning rather than be subject to the provincial government's prohibition against public hearings "under many circumstances," the corporate report indicates.
The charter would also exempt transit hubs in Surrey from provincially imposed density requirements and provide council with the discretion to require off-street parking as it sees fit.
Moreover, as current provincial legislation "unduly constrains" revenue sources that are available to the City of Surrey, the charter would open more options, for example, an empty homes tax similar to Vancouver's, as well as a municipal property transfer tax similar to Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. The charter would also give Surrey the ability to set the tax rate for utility companies – ie. electricity, telephone, water and gas – as "circumstances warrant and as the City deems appropriate."
"For a city of our scale, innovation and diversity it is imperative for Surrey to have legislative powers that reflect and support our unique needs and ambitions," Locke said in July. "A Surrey Charter will enable greater autonomy for the city from housing and building regulations to broader powers for council to foster local business growth and economic development."
Council then directed city staff to prepare a corporate report on how the City of Surrey "can proceed in the development of a Surrey Charter positioning Surrey as a dynamic leader in the province's future."
A Surrey Charter would also enable the City to set maximum fines for bylaws infractions. The corporate report to council reads that a maximum fine of $50,000 is "not adequate to address some bylaw contraventions." It would also enable the City to recover fines related to bylaw infractions from the subject's property taxes "thereby enhancing the City's enforcement tools to ensure compliance."
While the City of Vancouver has had its own charter since 1949, the Local Government Act and Community Charter applies to B.C.'s other civic governments.
During Monday's council meeting Coun. Gordon Hepner said a charter is "long overdue," a sentiment echoed by other council members. Finance manager Kam Grewal told council that having a charter "would give us options that we currently do not have.
"For example, the City of Vancouver does have the ability to issue bonds as debt. There are some advantages to that."
Coun. Linda Annis said Surrey "needs to be the controller" of its "destiny, and by doing this charter I think it's going to be very, very helpful.
"I do also hope that the provincial government gives us a timely and favorable decision," she added.
Coun. Doug Elford expects it to be a "long-term sort of process.
"Certainly anything we can do as a council to reduce the burden on the people of Surrey whether it's taxes or laws or fines and things like that I think is worth exploring," he said.
Coun. Rob Stutt echoed that, as did Locke.
"We need every tool we can get," the mayor said. "This should be a win-win for both the Province and the City of Surrey. I see this as a very progressive move for Surrey and I know it will deliver for us in spades moving into the future."
