TAMRMS#: B06
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Organizational Matters
Presented by: Chris Belke, Chief Legislative Officer
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RECOMMENDATION(S)
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1. Establish Meeting Schedule
(should any member of Council be absent, this item will be deleted from the agenda and considered when all members are in attendance - MGA s.193(1))
(a) That the calendar for regular meetings of City Council, Committee of the Whole and the Governance, Priorities and Finance, as attached to the Agenda Report entitled "Organizational Matters" dated October 30, 2017, be adopted.
(b) That meetings commence at 2:00 p.m.
(c) That regular City Council meetings adjourn no later than 7:00 p.m., unless a motion to extend the meeting is adopted.
2. Establish Deputy Mayor Roster
That the following roster for Deputy Mayor be established and, in the absence of both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the next scheduled Deputy Mayor shall assume the role of Acting Mayor:
2017 November-December Councillor Brodhead
2018 January-February Councillor Hughes
March-April Councillor Watkins
May-June Councillor MacKay
July-August Councillor Joly
September-October Councillor Hansen
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
The Organizational Meeting of Council is held annually as per Section 192(1) of the Municipal Government Act.
COUNCIL DIRECTION
On January 16, 2017, Council passed the following motion:
That the recommendations contained in the "Council Remuneration and Expense Reimbursement Final Report" provided as an attachment to the January 16, 2017 agenda report entitled "Council Remuneration and Expense Reimbursement - Administration Report", be approved, with the exception of Recommendation 3.1, 3.2, 5.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.5, 10.1.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Procedure Bylaw 22/2016 sets the procedures of Council. The items that may appear on the agenda for the Inaugural and Organizational Meetings are set out under Sections 4 and 5 (see Procedure Bylaw Attachment).
Council usually schedules a summer break the latter part of July and early August.
The Annual Conference of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities will be held in Halifax, NS from Friday, May 31 to Monday, June 3, 2017, which conflicts with a regular Council meeting date. The Annual Convention of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) is scheduled in Calgary from Wednesday, November 22 to Friday, November 24, 2017 and does not conflict with a scheduled meeting.
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS
Since January 2015, Council has chosen a start time of 2:00 p.m. for Regular Council Meetings.
On January 16, 2017, Council passed a resolution to accept some of the recommendations from the Council Remuneration Review Committee. Recommendation 1.2, which was adopted stated:
"That Council meetings be adjusted to commence later in the afternoon or evening to allow those employed in a full-time capacity elsewhere the opportunity to serve on Council."
Administration has reviewed the recommendation and based on a number of implications, noted below, it is Administration's recommendation that the Council meetings include a start time of 2:00 p.m. It should be noted that it is Council's prerogative to select the same or different start time and that Administration will implement accordingly.
If a different start time is considered, the following implications should be considered:
If Council Meetings start later they will inevitably end later, unless Council becomes more efficient in their meetings or meeting agendas are managed in a manner that reduces the number of business items dealt with at Council Meetings. Recently Council Meetings have run approximately 5 hours.
Generally, when meetings run later, there have been concerns that the quality of decision-making may decrease which could result in some decisions being brought back again for reconsideration at a later date.
Later meetings may require Administration to manage staff time differently due to overtime that would be incurred by some staff, or to incur some additional costs for overtime.
In recent years, grade six classes from local schools have attended Council Meetings as their social studies curriculum includes a module on municipal government. This may not be feasible if Council Meetings were to start later. This will limit accessibility for this community group.
If a different start time is chosen, subsequent changes may have to be made to the standard ordering of items on Council Meeting agendas. Logistical considerations would include if/when a meal break could be scheduled, time to hold in camera sessions, time to hold Public Hearings, times for presentations from the public. Administration will work with Agenda Committee to rearrange agenda items to be as public-friendly as possible.
Report Date: October 30, 2017
Author(s): Chris Belke, Chief Legislative Officer
City Manager: Kevin Scoble