Puslinch councillors recently found themselves in the unusual position of not being able to help out a service club by waiving fees for an upcoming all-candidates’ night.
On behalf of the Puslinch Optimist Club, Robert McFarlane wrote to council asking them to waive the rental fee for the event at the Puslinch Community Centre on Oct. 8.
“As the name implies all of the candidates will be invited. It is a community service that we are providing with equal opportunity for all,” McFarlane stated.
But as Puslinch council got set to deal with the issue on Sept. 17, four of the five members declared a pecuniary interest as they were all candidates in the upcoming municipal election on Oct. 27.
As the lone member still at the table, councillor Jerry Schmidt quipped, “Is it something I said?”
CAO Karen Landry said that as a result of four members of council declaring a pecuniary interest the matter it could not be addressed.
While there are rules allowing for council to continue discussions when more than one member of council declares a pecuniary interest, Landry said there still needs to be a quorum.
She noted the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act does make provisions for when a quorum is lost – but the minimum number of council members to make a decision is two.
“In this case there are not two members so the matter cannot be dealt with,” said Landry.
