Residents who want to present to city council could soon do so at the beginning of the meeting instead of near the end based on proposed changes to the procedure bylaw.
The current council agenda allows individuals or delegations to speak for 10 minutes about specific actions they want council to take during the Committee of the Whole section, which is the fourth item on the list. This also allows council to ask questions of the presenters.
Meanwhile, individuals who want to appear about any topic without necessarily submitting documents can speak for five minutes in public forum, which is the second-last item on the agenda.
“The biggest concern (with public forum) is there was no interaction with council and no opportunity for council to ask questions,” city clerk Myron Gulka-Tiechko said during the recent executive committee meeting. “We didn’t feel that worked very well. Plus, those people had to wait until the end of the agenda — sometimes up to three hours — to have their say.”
That entire process could soon change, though, based on recommendations council unanimously adopted during its recent executive committee meeting that affect the procedure bylaw. This bylaw acts as the constitution and rules of order for how city council operates; it has been in place since 2003.
Proposed agenda changes
According to a council report, these recommendations are:
- Adding public hearings as a standalone item at the beginning so residents can speak for or against issues such as proposed land-use or discretionary use decisions that affect neighbouring properties; this would appear sixth on the agenda
- Placing individuals/delegations and public input speakers near the beginning of Committee of the Whole — the seventh item on the agenda — and letting both groups speak for 10 minutes
- Confirming the agenda immediately following call to order of the meeting
- Addressing matters of order and privilege on council and how points of order are adjudicated
- Allowing council members to declare conflicts of interest near the beginning of the meeting — the fifth item on the agenda — so they can leave quietly without interrupting the meeting; this also adds transparency, so those watching understand why a member is leaving
- Moving in-camera — or behind closed doors — when a report comes forward that contains sensitive information and council disagrees on how to handle it; administration could withdraw the document or bring it to a future meeting with the sensitive information withdrawn
- Having the ability to move in-camera during a meeting when council wants legal advice
- Following the rules of order that the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly uses for meetings
- Deleting the budget committee since council has been holding special meetings the past few years to deal with this issue
Council discussion
Moving presenters to the beginning of the agenda is positive since they would usually have to wait three hours to speak, said Coun. Dawn Luhning. Allowing residents to speak then also gives them the chance to stay for the rest of the meeting.
That change does makes sense and allows for more council-presenter interaction, agreed Coun. Crystal Froese. However, she wondered how changing the agenda would affect members of advisory committees who present meeting minutes. Currently, those reports are No. 8 on the agenda, but the proposed change moves them to No. 11.
Froese thought it would be appropriate to move those speakers higher on the agenda.
“With advisory committee chairs, I think it’s OK if they wait,” commented Coun. Heather Eby. “They’re doing a job we asked them to do … . They have a higher interest in council because they put their names forward for committees.”
Committee chairs are volunteers and are aware of what’s on the agenda, remarked Mayor Fraser Tolmie. He appreciated their patience but pointed out the agenda structure works well and council can address that issue later if necessary.
The next executive committee meeting is Monday, June 28.
