Council meetings will likely happen much earlier in the future at City Hall in North Battleford.
City council has voted to direct administration to prepare amendments to the procedure bylaw which will move up the start time of council meetings from 8 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Council passed the resolution to that effect unanimously.
The plan is for the open portion to begin at 6:15 p.m.; if there is the need for an executive committee meeting, those would start at 5:15 p.m.
The rationale, according to a memo from City Manager Randy Patrick dated Nov. 13, is that it is better suited to delegations attending council, and enables council members to make decisions with more energy and less fatigue.
Administration also feels the move may better accommodate members of the public.
“It may engage more of the public to attend because it’s earlier on in the day,” said Debbie Wohlberg, director of legislative services, at Tuesday’s meeting.
While council passed the resolution authorizing the change to the earlier start times, they must still vote on the actual amendments to the procedure bylaw itself before the new times take effect.
Those bylaw amendments will now be prepared by administration and come back for a vote at a future meeting. The indication from Mayor Ryan Bater to reporters is that the new council start times will likely take effect in the new year.
