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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil - 2013-04-08 SSPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 8, 2013 CITY OF KITCHENER A special meeting of City Council was held at 5:36 p.m. this date, chaired by Mayor C. Zehr with all members present. Notice of this meeting had been previously given to all members of Council by the Clerk pursuant to Chapter 25 (Council Procedure) of the Municipal Code. Council considered correspondence from Mr. D. Carli, Chair of the Kitchener Public Library (KPL) Board, dated April 2, 2013 recommending the appointment of Erin Rudland to fill a recent Board vacancy. In addition, Council was in receipt of the 23 applications from persons interested in filling that vacant position. A motion was brought forward by Councillor B. Vrbanovic, seconded by Councillor P. Singh, to appoint Erin Rudland to the KPL Board. Councillor Y. Fernandes expressed concern with the proposed appointment, advising that while Ms. Rudland is qualified to sit on the Board, it was her preference that this position be filled by someone who is not already serving on one of the City's boards and / or committees. Accordingly, she nominated Ms. Carolyn Pegg, Ms. Mandy Brouse and Ms. Veronica Nass to fill the vacant position on the KPL Board. Councillor Z. Janecki nominated Ms. Megan Renkema to fill the vacant position on the KPL Board. Councillor B. Vrbanovic expressed concern with the not approving the recommendation that was put forward by the KPL Board. He cautioned Council against second guessing the membership evaluation process undertaken by the KPL, commenting that they would be more familiar with which of the 23 applicants would best meet their needs. The approved voting procedure used for appointments to Committees was then utilized, resulting in Erin Rudland being appointed to the KPL Board. Council then considered correspondence from Mr. C. Goodeve, Supervisor of Legislated Services, dated April 8, 2013, proposing various measures that could be implemented to facilitate the public consultation sessions being held on April 23 and April 30, 2013 to solicit feedback on the possibility of the City of Kitchener being a host municipality for an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) gaming facility. Mr. J. Willmer, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), reviewed the report, advising that direction was being sought on three main logistical issues associated with the public consultation sessions, being: delegations; the OLG's presentation; and, timing. He stated that on average, Council takes approximately 14.5 minutes per delegation, which includes the maximum 5 minutes to address Council and approximately 9'/2 minutes of questions. He stated that using this standard, Council could only feasibly hear from 15 delegations per public consultation session. Accordingly, it is proposed that in order to maximize the number of people that could be heard from, Council could agree to forgo asking any questions of the delegations. He estimated that over 60 delegations could be given the opportunity to provide comments over the course of the two sessions; compared to only half that number, if Council decided to ask questions of each delegation. He added that with respect to delegations, direction was also being sought as to whether they should be permitted to give PowerPoint presentations, noting that they would still be permitted to distribute materials to Council outlining their positions. He further advised that the standard protocol is to provide 10 minutes to groups who have been invited to give a presentation to Council. He estimated that the OLG might need more time to provide a complete presentation, noting that direction was being sought as to how much time should be allocated to the OLG. In reference to the third logistical issue, Mr. Willmer stated that to help ensure that the meeting moves along expeditiously, a timeframe could be established as to when Council would finish with the OLG. He added that it is proposed that the first hour of the meeting on April 23rd could be set aside to hear from the OLG and at 7:00 p.m. Council could move on to hear from the public delegations. In response to questions, Mr. Willmer confirmed that Rogers Cable 20 has agreed to broadcast both public consultations sessions. He indicated that the community survey will be accessible via the City's website on Monday, April 15, 2013. He advised that a report would be provided to the May 13, 2013 Council meeting, which will provide an overview of all of the public input that has been received on this matter. He stated that the report would also outline the potential advantages and disadvantages of a casino as well as the potential risks. In addition, it would include an overview of the possible SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 8, 2013 -70- CITY OF KITCHENER impacts on the City of Kitchener resultant to the Township of Woolwich's decision to host an OLG gaming facility. Following a discussion of the proposed meeting logistics for the April 23rd and April 30th public consultation sessions, Council agreed to the following: • Both public consultation sessions will be scheduled for 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; • Public delegations would have a maximum of 5 minutes to address Council; • Groups or organizations with more than one delegation will be asked to nominate one spokesperson who would be given 10 minutes to address Council; • Delegations are to pre- register by no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 19th and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 26th; • During the meetings, Councillors will not ask questions of the public delegations; • No more than 40 delegations would be accommodated on April 23rd; • Walk -in delegations will only be heard if there is still time available before the scheduled ending of the consultation session • Delegations would be permitted to give PowerPoint presentations, which would need to be submitted to the Office of the City Clerk by no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 19th; • Councillors could submit questions by April 17th as to what they hope to hear input on through the consultation process, which would be shared with registered delegations who may choose to address them as part of their presentations; • On April 22nd confirmation of registration will be sent to all registered delegations, at which time they will be circulated the questions from Council; • The OLG would be allocated 20 minutes to give their presentation on April 23rd; • Councillors will have a maximum of 40 minutes to ask the OLG questions; • Council will begin to hear from public delegations at 7:00 p.m. on April 23rd; • No Councillor will be permitted to ask a second question of the OLG until all members of Council have been afforded an opportunity to ask at least one question. Moved by Councillor B. Vrbanovic Seconded by Councillor F. Etherington "That an in- camera meeting of City Council be held this date to consider a litigation / potential litigation matter and a matter subject to solicitor - client privilege." Carried. On motion, the meeting adjourned at 6:52 p.m. MAYOR CLERK