Delegates will be appearing before city council at a new time and councillors will have more opportunities to chair meetings – those are among a number of changes coming to New Westminster City Hall.
At its Nov. 18 meeting, council received a staff report outlining a number of items, including a new order of proceedings for council meetings and the process for bylaw readings, a new meeting schedule for council in 2025, and an updated notice of motion policy.
Mayor Patrick Johnstone said “there’s quite a bit in here” and suggested council deal with the five recommendations included in the staff report separately.
While two of those items – council’s 2025 meeting format and a revised notice of motion process – generated considerable discussion, council unanimously approved other recommendations included in the staff report with little fanfare.
Meeting changes
Council unanimously supported changes to the timing of presentations and delegations at council meetings. Instead of being scheduled for 7 p.m., delegations and presentations will take place at 6 p.m. starting in the new year.
The City of New Westminster’s council procedures bylaw allows up to 10 members of the public who have signed up ahead of time with the city to delegate at regular council meetings (unless a public hearing is being held that evening).
Hanieh Berg, the city’s corporate officer, said no other changes are being proposed regarding the delegation process, other than the timing at council meetings.
Bylaw changes
Council unanimously supported a council procedure bylaw related to the way in which council considers bylaws at its meetings.
“We are adjusting when we give three readings to bylaws,” Johnstone said.
In addition to changing the order of proceedings at council meetings, a staff report said the proposed amendment to the council procedures bylaw “captures other miscellaneous matters” including the distribution of council agenda materials and the designation of the acting mayor to preside over workshop meetings.
“This is something that I've learned that other councils around the region quite commonly do for committees of the whole or workshops. It gives the other members of council an opportunity to sit in the mayor's chair and gets them a chance to learn how to chair and get comfortable chairing,” Johnstone said. “And it just becomes a good practice for a lot of for other councils. They seem to enjoy doing it. So, I thought we would introduce this at the same time.”
Having chaired two meetings, Coun. Ruby Campbell supported the opportunity for councillors who are serving as acting mayor to chair workshop meetings. (Each year, councillor each serve as acting mayor for two months.)
“I think that it is commendable that we share that experience in order to better understand the process,” she said.
Queensborough meetings
Council unanimously supported a staff recommendation that its Sept. 15, 2025 meeting be held at the Queensborough Community Centre.
Council has held one evening meeting in Queensborough every September for years, but Coun. Tasha Henderson said she would like to know about the logistics of holding an afternoon workshop in Queensborough in the spring.
“I'm just thinking in terms of people's availability,” she said. “Residents in Queensborough, some might have, for example, childcare duties in the evening that might preclude them from coming. And so just having one of both might be helpful.”
Council unanimously voted in favour of asking of asking staff to report back on the the costs and logistics of holding an afternoon meeting in Queensborough in 2025.
