New Westminster residents may be able to pay parking tickets, renew dogs licences return library books and get in a workout – all in one place.
Coun. Jonathan Cote is recommending that the city explore allowing residents to pay water, sewer and electrical bills, property taxes, parking tickets, and buy garbage tags and dog licenses at the front counters of Century House, Centennial Community Centre and Anvil Centre. He’d also like people to be able to return library books at these venues.
“It is actually an idea inspired by something that is already in place at the Queensborough Community Centre,” he told The Record. “A number of front counters services that you would normally expect at city hall have been handled by the front counter staff at the Queensborough Community Centre. It kind of just developed naturally in that neighbourhood.”
Cote said the service has been well received Queensborough, where residents enjoy the convenience of being able to do these activities in their own neighbourhood and in a facility they’re visiting on a regular basis.
“New Westminster isn’t geographically a really large community, but we do have our different neighbourhoods,” he said. “People are often going to Canada Games Pool but they’re not always dropping by city hall. Are there ways to make things a little bit easier for our residents, whether it’s renewing a dog licence, or paying for property taxes and things like that?”
Council approved Cote’s motion to have staff explore the issue further, and to refer the issue to the library board and the parks and recreation committee for input.
“Certainly the experience in Queensborough has shown that it’s something that is able to be accomplished. It certainly would require some training for the frontline staff to ensure they’re able to do it, and make sure the right computer systems are in place at the different facilities,” Cote said. “I do think Queensborough has shown it is a model that can be replicated in other facilities of ours.”
Residents can borrow and return items in the new satellite library at the expanded Queensborough Community Centre. While residents wouldn’t be able to borrow library materials at other facilities, Cote said they may be able to return items at other locations.
“It got me thinking to myself – sometimes I am not in the Uptown but I am in another location and I have these library books that are getting overdue and I just want to drop them off, but I just never seem to be at the library,” he said. “Different things like that – just to make it easier for residents to access the services that the city provides.”
