This morning, I sent a letter to Mayor and Council - City of Williams Lake on concerns I have with Bylaw #2091 (Bylaw to amend Council Procedure Bylaw #1940, 2004). For my blog readers' information, see the letter in full below:
UPDATE - I've asked Mayor Cook, at our meeting this morning, to include in revisions to Council Procedure Bylaw # 1940, 2004;
i) Posting of Meeting Notices on City's Website
ii) Move Delegations to Committee of the Whole and keep presentations at Council Meetings'
Dear Mayor Cook & Council
Re: Amendments to Council Procedure Bylaw #1940, 2004
At the Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 Committee of the Whole Council meeting, the Committee considered a report from the City’s Legislative Services Manager on draft amendments to Council Procedure Bylaw #1940, 2004 with an attached draft of Bylaw #2091 (Bylaw of the City of Williams Lake to amend Council Procedure Bylaw #1940, 2004)
Consequently, the Committee agreed to provide Council with the following recommendation:
“THAT Council give public notice of its intention to amend Council Procedure Bylaw No. 1940, 2004, pursuant to Section 124 of the Community Charter”
In anticipation of Council adopting the above recommendation at its’ April 6th, 2010 meeting, I wish to provide some concerns I have with Bylaw #2091 and hope that this Council will take this concerns into consideration when you consider Bylaw #2091, 2010 at your April 20th, 2010 meeting
Concerns with Bylaw #2091:
1) Change Council Meeting time to 6:00pm
I was very disappointed to hear Mayor Cook & City Councillors Bourdon, Montoya and Zacharias express a view that because members of the public do not now show up for a Council meeting, then that is sufficient cause to change the Council meeting start time to 6:00pm, in addition to making it convenient for both them and City Staff
However, I am of the view that this change is the act of an “elitist” Council who only wishes to make this change in order to accommodate the Mayor & City Councillors’ lives and that is really unfortunate because I suspect that the next Council will want to review this in order that the 6:00pm meeting time is consistent with the “public interest” and it be moved back to 7:00 or 7:30pm. Another question that I have is – is this Council going to also move the start time of Public Hearings to suit their schedule?
2) Electronic Meetings
Under Bylaw #2091, it is proposed that a new Section 7A be added however, I really am very concerned with sub-section 5 under Section 7A which reads:
5) A member of council or a council committee participating electronically in a council or council committee meeting may do so a maximum of four times per calendar year
The above, in my view, is a 100% restriction on a member of Williams Lake City Council to do the job to which they were elected and they should not have any reasonable impediment to do their job and I respectfully request that this particular sub-section be removed otherwise a member of Council would have grounds to raise a point of privilege claiming that sub-section 5 of Section 7A is a complete restriction on their ability to do their job.
A member of Williams Lake City Council should be allowed to make use of electronic means in order to carry out their office, whether they are sick or away on City business, and no matter how many times they wish to make use of it provided that a physical quorum takes place at the meeting
Otherwise, the other amendments that Bylaw #2091 seeks to make to the City’s Council Procedure Bylaw are good ones and ones that I support wholeheartedly
In conclusion, I ask you to consider amending Bylaw #2091 as per above to ensure the amendments to the City’s Council Procedure Bylaw are good ones
Respectfully yours,
Steve Forseth
SF/sf
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