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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFCS-14-010 - Public Input Into Procedural Changes to Further Enhance Meeting Effectiveness REPORT TO: Mayor C. Zehr and Members of Council DATE OF MEETING: January 13, 2014 SUBMITTED BY: Christine Tarling, Director, Legislated Services & City Clerk (519) 741-2200 ext. 7809 PREPARED BY: Colin Goodeve, Manager, Council / Committee Services & Deputy City Clerk (519) 741-2200 ext. 7278 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: January 7, 2014 REPORT NO.: FCS-14-010 SUBJECT: PUBLIC INPUT INTO PROCEDURAL CHANGES TO FURTHER ENHANCE MEETING EFFECTIVENESS RECOMMENDATION: That the proposed changes to enhance meeting effectiveness, attached as Appendix ‘B’ to Finance and Corporate Services Department report FCS-14-010, be approved; and further, That staff be directed to prepare a by-law to amend the City of Kitchener Municipal Code Chapter 25 (Procedure), as necessary, to incorporate the proposed changes. BACKGROUND: At the June 10, 2013 Council meeting, direction was given for staff to undertake a review of the City’s existing meeting procedures and report back with suggested measures that could be implemented to provide for a more effective meeting process. Report FCS-13-177 was presented at the December 9, 2013 special Council meeting, indicating that a total of 61.25 hours were spent in Council meetings in 2012, compared to 44.43 hours in 2011. In 2011, the average Council meeting lasted just under three hours and in 2012 this increased to over four hours. A comparison of ten urban municipalities, with an average composition of 11 members, showed that those Councils averaged 2.36 hours per meeting. Report FCS-13-177 reviewed the existing conditions possibly contributing to the length of meetings at the City of Kitchener. Following the description of each scenario, staff put forward options that could be pursued to enhance meeting efficiency and to allow for a more effective meeting process. In total 22 proposals were put forward for Council’s consideration. One proposal, to accelerate the publication of Standing Committee agendas, was formally approved; while 16 others (attached hereto as Appendix ‘B’) were approved in principle and referred to the January 13, 2014 special Council meeting to provide an opportunity to receive public input. REPORT: Prior to the December 9, 2013 special Council meeting, Report FCS-13-177 was posted to the City’s website and circulated as part of the meeting agenda. In accordance with the standard agenda distribution process, it was also emailed to approximately 21 members of the local print, radio and television media. th The delegation who addressed Council at the December 9 meeting suggested that feedback should have been sought on Report FCS-13-177 from those persons who addressed Council on major issues over the past two to three years. Section 31 of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) stipulates that personal contact information may only be used for the purpose for which it was obtained. If a person registered to address Council on the Open Air Burning By-law or on whether Kitchener should host an Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG) gaming facility, their contact information was submitted in relation to those matters. Therefore, in accordance with MFIPPA, staff would not be permitted to utilize that contact information to solicit feedback on Report FCS-13-177 as it is unrelated to the specific matters for which that information was obtained. On the morning of December 10, 2013, the CBC Radio show “The Morning Edition - K-W” th dedicated a six minute segment to the four hour meeting that took place on December 9 regarding the proposed procedural changes to further enhance meeting effectiveness. That broadcast can be heard via the following link:  http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Shows/Ontario/The+Morning+Edition+-+K- W/ID/2423387388/ There was further media coverage of the proposed procedural changes with newspaper articles appearing in the Waterloo Region Record on December 11, 2013 and the Kitchener Post on December 13, 2013. A letter to the editor was submitted on December 17, 2013 in response to the article in the Waterloo Region Record. An editorial also appeared in the Kitchener Post on December 13, 2013, and a poll was conducted by the Post, published on December 26, 2013, asking “How can Kitchener City Council be more efficient?” The media coverage of this matter has been generally supportive of the proposed procedural changes and copies of the aforementioned articles have been attached hereto as Appendix ‘A’. On December 13, 2013, copies of Report FCS-13-177 as well as the 16 proposals approved in principle were circulated to Compass Kitchener for input and comment. Unfortunately, staff was not able to consult with Compass Kitchener in person as their regularly scheduled meeting was held on December 5, 2013 and their next meeting is not until January 15, 2014. Feedback was received from the Chair of Compass Kitchener, who expressed support for the proposals that were approved in principle at the December 9, 2013 special Council meeting. An ‘Effective Meetings’ tab was added under the Public Consultation section of the City’s website, which asks for feedback on the proposals put forward at the December 9, 2013 special Council meeting. The ‘Effective Meetings’ webpage can be accessed via the following link: http://www.kitchener.ca/en/insidecityhall/Effective-Meetings.asp Communications staff also sought input on this matter through social media, encouraging people to submit comments to the City’s website. Members of the public were given until January 13, 2014 to submit comments. As of the writing of this report, staff has not yet received any input from the public on the proposed procedural changes to further enhance meeting effectiveness. If approved, it is suggested that the proposed changes should come into effect immediately; however, a number of the proposals will necessitate amendments to the City’s Procedural By- law. It is anticipated that a by-law to incorporate the proposed changes into the City’s Municipal Code could come forward as of January 27, 2014. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The proposed procedural changes aimed at promoting more effective meetings align with the following areas of the City’s Strategic Plan: Community Priorities: Quality of Life, Leadership and Community Engagement and Diversity. Effective and Efficient Government Priorities: Organizational Governance and Communications, Marketing & Customer Service. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: There are no financial implications associated with this report. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM – A copy of Report FCS-14-010 was published on the City’s website with the meeting agenda in advance of Council’s consideration and was emailed to approximately 21 members of the local print, radio and television media. CONSULT – The ‘Effective Meetings’ webpage will continue to be active and provide an avenue for members of the public to submit comments until January 13, 2014. Leading up to January th 13, every two days Communications staff has been utilizing the City’s social media accounts to re-post the link to that webpage, encouraging people to provide feedback on the proposed procedural changes. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, Deputy CAO - Finance & Corporate Services Department Attached: Appendix ‘A’ – Copies of the newspaper articles on the proposed procedural changes. Appendix ‘B’ – 16 Proposals approved in principle at the December 9, 2013 special Council meeting. APPENDIX ‘A’ APPENDIX ‘B’ Proposal 2) That Committee Chairs will ensure that matters are considered within their allotted time, which may include the need to call the question or defer the matter; and further, That when a matter is proposed to be deferred, consideration shall be given to the Corporate Reports Pending List in deciding an appropriate date for deferral. Proposal 3a) That any reports that are strictly for information shall be placed under that heading on the agenda and shall only be included as a Discussion Item by a majority vote of the Committee. Proposal 4a) That each Standing Committee report included with the Council agenda shall be treated as if it were a list of consent items, whereby one motion will be used to bring all items on the report forward for consideration, but it shall not be read and/or summarized; and further, Notwithstanding the above, any member of Council may request that a particular clause be dealt with separately. Proposal 4c) That the following is proposed to replace Section 25.4.18 (Termination of Council Proceedings): ‘Council shall remain in session until all business on the agenda is disposed of until 11:00 p.m. unless by unanimous consent of the members present a one hour extension is approved with proceedings of Council ending by no later than midnight.’ Proposal 5) That the following are proposed amendments to Section 25.5.4.1 of Chapter 25 of the City’s Municipal Code:  Any person making a presentation, save and except those related to the City’s annual budget deliberation process and Strategy Sessions, but including those by staff members, consultants engaged by the City, or individuals representing any other corporation, organization or committee, shall be permitted to address Council for a maximum of ten (10) minutes; and,  During the agenda setting process, consideration shall be given to the scope of an item to identify if it is necessary to allot additional time for a presentation beyond the specified ten (10) minutes. When such a determination has been made, prior to the commencement of the subject presentation the Committee Chair shall indicate the amount of time that has been allocated for the presentation; and,  On behalf of the Mayor and/or Committee Chair, the Clerk / Committee Administrator shall keep account of the time expended by an individual on all presentations and at the completion of nine (9) minutes shall advise through an audio and/or visual prompt that their time will expire in approximately one (1) minute; and further,  Council may limit or extend the time allowed for a presentation by a majority vote. Proposal 7a) That each member of Council be allocated a total of five (5) minutes for their initial set of questions, which shall include the amount of time it takes to obtain a response from the delegation; and, That each member of Council will be given an opportunity to utilize their initial five (5) minute question period, prior to any member being afforded a second opportunity to ask questions; and further, That each councillor will be allocated a total of five (5) minutes for their subsequent round of questions, which shall include the time it may take to obtain a response from the delegation. Proposal 7b) That members shall be permitted to ask questions of delegates but shall not make statements nor enter into debate with such persons. Proposal 7c) That the Chair may curtail a delegation if any derogatory comments are made about staff or other individuals, for disorderly conduct, or any other breach of conduct and, if the Chair rules that the delegation is concluded, the person or persons appearing shall withdraw. Proposal 7d) That whenever a delegation, offers comments or statements that are deemed to be erroneous and unsubstantiated, any member of Council, or City official, may be recognized by the Chair on a Point of Order and when recognized may provide the necessary corrections or clarifications to the comments or statement said by the delegation. Proposal 8a) That once everyone has been afforded an opportunity to ask questions, no further discussion or debate should occur on the matter until a formal motion has been brought forward for consideration. Proposal 8b) That no member, without leave of the Council, will speak to the same motion, or in reply, for longer than five (5) minutes. Proposal 9a) That where an item is not on a current meeting agenda but is intended to come forward at a later date, staff shall refer the person to the appropriate meeting; thereby ensuring that the appropriate staff are in attendance and supporting materials have been circulated for Council’s consideration. Proposal 9c) That where a person wishes to register as a delegation and the matter is not on a meeting agenda and it is questionable as to whether it falls within the City’s jurisdiction, this matter shall be referred to the next available agenda setting meeting for consideration by the Committee Chairs. Proposal 9d) That when it is deemed inappropriate through the agenda setting process that a delegation address Council, the Clerk shall so notify the delegation and Council with a supporting explanation. Proposal 10a) That in keeping with the requirements already provided for in Municipal Code Chapter 25.7.6(c), all motions put forward at a Council meeting, except questions of privilege or purely procedural motions shall be made in writing and must be seconded before they are voted on. Proposal 10b) That the City discontinue the practice of employing friendly amendments in instances where the proposed amendment represents a substantive change or would add a further clause(s) to the main motion.”