Red Deer councillors will have access to a tool allowing less formal discussions with other members of council and administration regarding topics and policies of interest.
On Monday, city council approved the use of a new tool called Committee of the Whole (COTW), and directed administration to amend its procedure bylaw and bring it back to council.
Council’s Code of Conduct Bylaw currently states: “Members shall conduct and convey council business in an open and transparent manner, other than for those matters which, by law, are authorized to be dealt with in a closed meeting. This allows the public to view the process and rationale which was used to reach decisions and the reasons for taking certain actions."
A Committee of the Whole report was originally brought to council this past July, but consideration was delayed until the third quarter of the year.
"COTW meetings are meetings of Council that are less formal than a Council meeting allowing members to participate in a less structured dialogue. To implement this change, the Procedure Bylaw would need to be amended," states the report presented to council.
"Best practice from a governance perspective is for council to conduct their business through open meetings, however there are a variety of formats council can utilize to achieve this including a COTW format.
"Open meetings advance the democratic process by providing the public with an understanding of the considerations underlying local government actions and by allowing the members of the public to observe the performance of their elected officials. It increases understanding because the rationale and reasoning for decisions, the progression of a topic through the decision-making process, and the amount of information considered is obvious to the public."
The report's backgrounds details that council shared with administration that they are looking for a mechanism to discuss and raise issues with each other and administration in a more informal manner than a council meeting that provides for a relaxation of the procedure bylaw.
Administration reached out to other mid-sized cities in the province, as well as Calgary and Edmonton, to better understand their current practices. COTW is a tool used widely and would provide a mechanism for council to have the discussions, but in alignment with best governance practices.
