Council meetings here will now be split between regular and committee of the whole meetings starting in September.
Wellington North council holds two regular council meetings each month. However, council has now decided to have one of those meetings as a committee of the whole meeting. Currently two councillors sit on committees such as recreation and property. Reports and recommendations then come to council from those committees to be dealt with.
Specific information on committee meetings is not always available for councillors not designated as members of the committee.
“We don’t have the verbal information,” Mayor Ray Tout said of the current process. “(Now) all councillors will be on all committees.”
At committee of the whole meetings, all councillors will have an opportunity to ask questions from department heads about what issues were raised the committee level.
“It’s opening up more communication, it’s more transparent,” the mayor said. “It’s to broaden the knowledge to all council.”
The committee of the whole system will be in place by September.
