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Amendments to Standing Commmittee of the Whole Bylaw
Presented by: Ryan Osterberg, Legislative Initiatives Coordinator
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RECOMMENDATION(S)
recommendation
1. That Bylaw 31/2017, being a bylaw to establish and define the functions of the Governance, Priorities and Finance Committee, be read a first time.
2. That Bylaw 31/2017 be read a second time.
3. That unanimous consent be given for consideration of third reading of Bylaw 31/2017.
4. That Bylaw 31/2017 be read a third and final time.
5. That Bylaw 35/2017, being a Amendment 1 to Bylaw 24/2016, be read a first time.
6. That Bylaw 35/2017 be read a second time.
7. That unanimous consent be given for consideration of third reading of Bylaw 35/2017.
8. That Bylaw 35/2017 be read a third and final time.
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PURPOSE OF REPORT
To present the proposed Governance, Priorities and Finance Committee Bylaw 31/2017 and proposed amendments to Agenda Committee Bylaw 24/2016 for approval.
COUNCIL DIRECTION
On May 8, 2017 the Standing Committee of the Whole passed the following motion:
(AR-17-192)
"That the Standing Committee of the Whole recommend to Council that Bylaw 31/2017, Governance and Priorities Committee, amended as per discussion by the Standing Committee of the Whole at their May 8, 2017 meeting, be approved."
On February 13, 2017 Committee passed the following motion:
(AR-16-404)
"That Administration draft amendments to the Standing Committee of the Whole Bylaw and any other applicable policies or bylaws based on the discussion held at the February 13, 2017 Standing Committee of the Whole meeting for consideration by Council by September 11, 2017."
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Administration discussed the Standing Committee of the Whole Bylaw with the Standing Committee of the Whole (SCW) on February 13, 2017 and again on May 8, 2017. Members of SCW provided feedback on areas they felt could be improved in the existing bylaw, such as:
a) Delegation of some authority from Council to the Committee;
b) Less formality;
c) Allow workshops to be held during Committee meetings;
d) Allow Administration reports to be presented at Committee meetings;
e) Allow the Committee to provide feedback and input on Policies and Bylaws; and
f) The Chair of the Committee should attend Agenda Committee (AC) and AC
should have the authority to approve Committee meeting agendas.
Administration has compiled the feedback and included it in a draft new Bylaw.
Major changes include:
Section 1, Title
Administration proposes changing the name of the Committee from "Standing Committee of the Whole" to "Governance, Priorities and Finance Committee". This will avoid confusion with Committee of the Whole moving forward.
Section 5, Chair
Administration proposes appointing the Deputy Mayor to be the Chair of the Governance and Priorities Committee. As the Deputy Mayor already attends Agenda Committee meetings, this would address the proposal of having the Chair of the Committee attend Agenda Committee meetings. It will also provide all members of Council the opportunity to gain experience chairing meetings. Also, a complimentary amendment is recommended to the Agenda Committee Bylaw to give Agenda Committee the authority to approve agendas of Governance, Priorities and Finance Committee meetings.
Section 7, Meeting Schedule
Currently, the proposed meeting dates for Committee meetings have been included on the calendar presented to Council at the annual Organizational Meeting when Council Meeting dates for the upcoming year are approved. However, Council does not currently have the authority to approve those Committee meeting dates. Having Council approve the Committee meetings at this time will streamline and clarify the process.
Section 8, Agenda
Having Agenda Committee approve the upcoming agendas for both Council and Committee meetings will result in a more effective evaluation of information flow between the two bodies allow for a better balancing of workload amongst all regular meetings.
Section 13, Committee Roles and Responsibilities
The existing bylaw has a very broad, vague definition of the types of matters that can be dealt with by the Committee. The proposed amendment to this section better defines the authority of the Committee and clarifies the role of the Committee. This includes amendments requested by members of Council such as allowing the inclusion of workshops, the presentation of Administration reports and the provision of input into the development or amendment of policies and bylaws.
Section 13, Procedures
As requested by Committee members, an amendment to subsection (d) has been proposed to require that any motion made at the Governance, Priorities and Finance Committee must be on a topic before the Committee.
STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS OR ENGAGEMENT
N/A
IMPLICATIONS OF RECOMMENDATION(S)
Financial:
None
Legal / Risk:
None
Program or Service:
None
Organizational:
The proposed amendments will amend the duties and functions of the Committee and should have no substantial impact on the organization except by changing which venue Administration will present some items such as Annual Reports and Quarterly Reports, or will seek feedback and input from Members of Council.
ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED
1. Council could choose to amendments to the proposed Governance, Priorities and Finance Committee Bylaw and direct Administration to bring an updated version of the bylaw back to Council at a future date for further consideration.
2. Council could choose not to approve Bylaw 31/2017. This would mean that the existing bylaw would remain in effect and any of the issues identified with this bylaw would remain unaddressed. Subsequently, no amendments would be required to Agenda Committee Bylaw 24/2017.
Report Date June 26, 2017
Author(s): Ryan Osterberg
Committee/Department: Legislative Services
City Manager: Kevin Scoble