The Cobourg Council’s Procedural Bylaw controls every aspect of how our Councillors represent your wishes.
- Is more or less public engagement being considered; e.g. question and answer period, town hall style meetings, public correspondence read out in Council, and the public’s role in advisory committee meetings
- When does Council meet and for how long?
- Could changes to the Procedural Bylaw help Councillors rein in staff spending prior to project approval?
- Can Councillors force non-performing contractors to do what they promised?
All of these questions and many more are answered in the Procedural Bylaw; it is possibly the most important bylaw in Cobourg!
The meeting is on January 28, 2019 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers, on the third floor east, at Victoria Hall, 55 King St. West.
Your CTA Directors have concerns about a number of the proposed changes. Some of them are:
- Do staff interfere with the operation of citizen committees of Council?
- Why can 50% of Council approve most things but 2/3 is required to change meeting rules?
- Is “best practices” without explanation a reason for any decision?
- Why do staff reports only provide one recommendation but no possible alternatives?
These and other questions should be asked of Councillors before they pass the Procedural Bylaw.
If you carefully read the proposed bylaw changes you will be much better prepared to ask the questions that concern you. You can read the proposed bylaw here. Note that the changes are marked in colour but there is no indication of sections that have been deleted. You can see the current version of the bylaw at https://cobourg.civicweb.net/document/124755
You can view the agenda here: PUBLIC MEETING COUNCIL PROCEDURAL BY-LAW REVIEW AGENDA
If you are unable to attend, you can provide a written submission to Municipal Clerk Brent Larmer (e-mail blarmer@cobourg.ca or call 905-372-4301 ext. 4401 for more details) by January 28.
We hope to see you there. Make your voice heard!