Changes for Council's TV coverage (on Rogers TV)

Hopefully Collingwood's new Council will review the procedures bylaw and provide a more appealing TV session that watchers can follow.

Rogers has provided two hours of Council broadcasts which should be enough for Council business and holding viewer interest.

In the future Council sessions should start at 7 pm so working Councilors don't have to take time off and residents are more available. Any meeting for any organization is not productive after two hours. The 11 pm cutoff time should continue but with every effort to have Council business concluded by 9 pm.

Also, the time consuming 'feel good' section for community announcements, personal comment and letters received should be eliminated and put on the Town's website or newspaper advertisement.

Future Council sessions must be more effective to provide effective decisions.

I fully support those comments made by dhill.
I think they are right on target

The agenda and its order of events are controlled by the head of council, not by council as a whole. We can recommend changes to the order, but as you might gather, that hasn't been terribly effective this term. Things will be better, next term.

Re Ian's comment that the Council agenda and order of events are controlled by the Mayor.

I would like to think otherwise, that Council members are in responsible and in charge of everything that comes to the Council table with any differences settled by a majority vote.

Council's order of business is presented in the procedures bylaw and can be changed by the will of most Councilors. As there is a vote to accept each Council agenda, the agenda itself could be changed by Councilors. This would be messy and involve considerable time to present an alternate agenda

There are two areas of law: The Municipal Act and our Procedural bylaw. The Act says:

225. It is the role of the head of council,
(a) to act as chief executive officer of the municipality;
( to preside over council meetings so that its business can be carried out efficiently and effectively;
© to provide leadership to the council;
(c.1) without limiting clause ©, to provide information and recommendations to the council with respect to the role of council described in clauses 224 (d) and (d.1);
(d) to represent the municipality at official functions; and
(e) to carry out the duties of the head of council under this or any other Act. 2001, c. 25, s. 225; 2006, c. 32, Sched. A, s. 100.

The Procedural bylaw says:
Council Agendas – Composition – prepared by Clerk
Following consultation with the Mayor, the Clerk shall prepare, for the Members of Council, the "Order of Business" as follows:
1. Call to Order
2. Adoption of Agenda
3. Declarations of Conflict or Pecuniary Interest
4. Adoption of the minutes of the previous meeting(s) of Council
5. Community Announcements
6. Deputations
7. Consent Agenda(s)
8. Move into Committee of the Whole (if deemed expedient)
9. Reports/Minutes of Committees/Boards (first Council meeting of the month)
10. Staff Reports
11. Motions
12. By-laws
13. Notice of Motion
14. County Report (first Council meeting of the month)
15. Old or Deferred Business
16. Other Business
17. Confirmatory By-law
18. Adjournment

8.5 Order of business – as specified - exception
The business of each meeting shall be taken up in the order in which it stands on the Agenda unless otherwise deemed expedient by the Mayor or at the request of a majority of the Members present.

So the order has been set by bylaw and the mayor has the authority to provide "leadership" (something sadly lacking this term, however), but the order can be changed by amending the bylaw or by a request of the majority. however, I suggest that over the past four years, getting a majority on this issue would have been difficult, given the strength of the mayor's support at the table.

Next term we will likely re-open the discussion on the bylaw to deal with several concerns raised during this campaign. I personally would like to move community announcements and in camera meetings number 14, and all in camera business to the end before the confirmatory bylaw.