Proposed Fee Structure for Documents
and Services Provided by the
City Clerk=s Secretariat
The Corporate Services Committee recommends the adoption of the report (May 5, 1998) from the City Clerk:
The Corporate Services Committee reports, for the information of Council, having requested the City Clerk to report to the
Corporate Services Committee on Councils ability to serve the public via the Internet in terms of providing agendas and minutes of
Council, Standing Committees, Sub-Committees, Task Forces and Agencies, Boards and Commissions, to the public.
The Corporate Services Committee submits the following report (May 5, 1998) from the City Clerk:
Purpose:
To recommend appropriate charges for documents and services provided by the City Clerk=s Secretariat.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
The subscription rates for the Council-generated documents reflect appropriate costs associated with the increased volume of
material submitted while balancing the public=s right to information and participation in the governance process. This report
recommends that the City Clerk continue to provide free agenda material to resident and ratepayer associations and non-profit
community organizations and the media. In addition, all Council documents are accessible to the general public on the Internet. Due
to reductions in the printing budget, the subscription rates allow the Clerk=s Secretariat to recover costs associated with this work
process.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1)the charges for copies of documents, certification and research assistance embodied in Appendix 1 of this report, be
approved;
(2)resident and ratepayer associations and non-profit community organizations be provided, free of charge, with agenda lists
only, on written request, and a single copy of any individual agenda item of interest, if necessary;
(3)the City Clerk be given authority to waive charges for copies of documents under exceptional circumstances;
(4)a by-law be introduced to permit the charging for documents, services, research assistance; and
(5)the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.
Council Reference/Background/History:
The Municipal Act allows a municipality to charge for copies of documents and other services.
This report reviews existing fees charged by the Clerk=s Departments from the former municipalities as well as reviewing the
current volume of materials produced to determine appropriate charges.
Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:
Copying and Research Fees.
The Municipal Act permits a municipality to pass by-laws imposing fees or charges for services or activities provided or done by
or on behalf of it. The Act also requires that copies be certified under seal, if required. All of the former municipalities had
fees/charges in place for copies of documents generated from the legislative process and for the provision of certified copies of
documents.
Given the demand for services, a review of current charges was undertaken. Appendix 1 depicts the proposed charges for the
subscription service for Council and Committee agendas and minutes, photocopying of documents and certification, videotapes,
information on computer diskettes and research assistance, based on the volumes experienced over the past three months. The fee
schedules from the former Municipalities of East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, Toronto, and Metropolitan Toronto,
for Council documents and photocopying are on file in the Office of the City Clerk. The former City of York did not have a formal
policy in this regard.
It is recommended that an increase in fees from the former Metropolitan Toronto structure be introduced to more accurately reflect
staff and production costs and to reflect the increased volume of material as a result of the amalgamation of municipalities. The
volume of material produced for Council-related documents has increased by approximately 22 percent from the 1997 levels for
the former Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto.
The subscriptions shall be paid on an annual basis. The subscription rates include a standard mailing fee which reflects the average
mailing costs for documents of this size. Calculations of postage costs on an individual subscription basis is too cumbersome and
time-consuming.
The Secretariat recognizes the need to inform the public and promote public participation in the decision-making process. It is
recommended that resident and ratepayer associations and non-profit community organizations be provided with agenda lists and
copies of individual agenda items, on request, free of charge. Council and Committee documents are also accessible on the City of
Toronto Website.
The former Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto by-law gave the Metropolitan Clerk authority to waive fees for copying
documents, under exceptional circumstances. It is recommended that the City Clerk be granted this authority. The Secretariat will
provide full agenda packages to the media, on written request, and reference libraries free of charge. In addition, a complete set of
agendas will also be available at City Clerk=s in each civic centre.
Once the Secretariat has permanently located at City Hall, consideration will be given to installing public access terminals within the
public area of City Clerk=s and adjacent to the Council Chamber to allow the public to conduct their own on-line searches with or
without assistance from staff. These terminals could be used for a full range of activities emanating from the City Clerk=s
responsibilities. A review is also being undertaken as part of the customer service initiative to install similar terminals in the civic
service centres. Libraries can potentially access Council documents upon the availability of Internet access in the branches.
Conclusion:
This report addresses the necessity to introduce a uniform fee structure for charges of documents and services emanating from the
City Clerk=s Secretariat while balancing an individual=s access to information.
Contact Names:
Terry Fenton
Interim Community Council Contact
778-2002.
Marilyn Toft
392-4364.
Appendix 1
(A copy of the fee schedules from the former Area Municipalities referred to in the foregoing report is on file in the office of the
City Clerk.)
