Proposed revisions to the Township of Centre Wellington’s procedure bylaw have made a leaner document.
The township has been working on an update to the document that governs how meetings are called, held and run since last year.
After previous deferrals and cancellations on an updated document, the township brought in two outside experts to help draft and educate council and the public on what the procedure bylaw should and shouldn’t include.
At a public workshop held in May, the experts told council and attendees a good procedure bylaw should work as a general guide and not an encyclopedia of every possible scenario that a council or committee might face.
The latest version, being discussed at a committee of the whole meeting on Monday, has removed sections or parts of sections that are unnecessary or covered under the Municipal Act or other legislation.
These include:
- The principles of openness, transparency and accountability
- Late arrival
- Quorum due to conflict
- Closed meeting investigation
- Conflict of interest
The information item also notes some sections, such as definitions, rules of debate, duties of the chair have undergone rewording.
Two options are being presented to determine how a deputy mayor is chosen.
In Centre Wellington, the deputy mayor is not elected but appointed by council to serve for council’s term. The other option suggests a quarterly rotation of this role.
The full revised draft can be read here.
A committee of the whole meeting to discuss these revisions will be held on Monday with ratification of the updates expected at a later council meeting in June.
