Council should consider changing its committee structure to make it more “transparent,” a municipal consultant has recommended.
Consultant Nigel Bellchamber, of N.G. Bellchamber and Associates, left the option open when he appeared before the township administration and finance committee on Oct. 28.
Bellchamber assisted the township in its hiring of CAO Mike Givens and was asked at the time to look into the township’s committee structure.
Wellington North has several committees, including its building and property committee, that meet regularly and submit reports and recommendations to full council for final decisions. The committees usually have two councillors as members, with recommendations discussed by full council at a later date when final decisions can be made.
“During the appointment process for your new CAO, council asked me to also review committee structure recognizing it had tentatively decided to adopt a committee of the whole process to replace some of its committees,” Bellchamber said in his report to the administration committee.
Committee of the Whole (CoW) also involves full council, and going to that process was intended to keep councillors fully up-to-date on issues rather than handling reports at formal council meetings and not knowing the full details.
“The committees that could have been replaced with a CoW are the finance and administration committee, building and property committee, public works committee and the fire committee,” Bellchamber said.
“Replacing the four … committees to committee of the whole with what is in effect another committee is neither efficient nor transparent to the public. It still means that recommendations of committee would have to wait for the next meeting of council for action. To the public CoW looks just like council,” he said in his report.
Bellchamber said with the hiring of a new CAO, “it is the ideal time to adopt a different system and to move issues directly to council, and require comprehensive staff reports for council when the issues appear on the agenda.”
The new system, according the Bellchamber, would require council to meet twice a month, but not increase the number of meetings councillors attend. It would also speed up decision-making.
Givens said the process would “focus what goes to council,” in terms of decisions needed to be made quickly.
“This will be a transition for council and senior staff. The reports will be a lot more formal … it will promote transparency,” Givens said.
“Obviously this will increase the number of issues that will come directly to council via staff reports. I’m a proponent of this approach. It will move the business of the township along faster … Full reports will go to council as opposed to just recommendations from committees.”
Council will consider the report when it meets in regular session.
