Woodlands County Council adds a new committee meeting to their schedule

Woodlands County Council has added a new meeting to their schedule of monthly meetings. In December, Council motioned the Governance and Priorities Committee into effect. The purpose of the Governance and Priorities Committee is to give Council members the chance to go over upcoming topics, issues, and opportunities with more time allotted to conversation and information gathering.

During a regular Council meeting, the agenda can have quite a few line items to go through, not leaving as much time for them to discuss each topic at length. However, not every subject needs extended discussion. For those that do, the Governance and Priorities Committee Meeting will give them time to shine a more attentive light on topics requiring more focus. “The intent is to keep the agenda small and allow for good, fruitful discussion on points that we may not have time to really dive into during a regular meeting,” explained Deputy Mayor Alan Deane during the December 8 first reading of the Bylaw.

To make changes to a bylaw, Council needs to have three readings. The second and third readings took place on December 22 during the Regular Meeting of Council, bringing the meeting to fruition for 2022 and beyond. The first Governance and Priorities Committee meeting will take place sometime this month. The committee is made up of all members of Council and will take place once a month, except for July, August, and December.

Ahead of the first reading in December, Deane asked if there was flexibility on the frequency of meetings. “It talks about having one. One, I would say, 99 percent of the time is going to be sufficient, but there could be times when we’d like to hold another meeting to discuss items of the same nature that couldn’t get covered in one meeting. I’m just wondering if there’s an opportunity to build in flexibility or we just leave this alone, and if there’s a need for another meeting, then we just schedule a Special Council Meeting.” CAO Gordon Frank said flexibility is always an option and that Council could book another meeting if they felt they needed more information brought back or more time to discuss.

The Town of Whitecourt has the same type of committee, though it has a slightly different name, Policies and Priorities. One of the most significant differences between this type of meeting and a regular Council meeting is that decisions only happen at a regular Council meeting. Rather than making decisions, the committee is focused on learning through discussion. Motions are about accepting the items for information rather than approving or denying something. Much of the chatter will have been discussed, and most questions answered by the time the item comes up at a Regular Meeting of Council.

The meeting is also a more informal affair which encourages open dialogue. Those who can provide more information can be invited to speak, as can public members. Since the meetings are intended to be more in-depth, the agenda is also shorter. Third parties, like other committees, or external agencies, can also be brought in for presentations.

For example, during the final Policies and Priorities Committee meeting of 2021 for Whitecourt Town Council, members heard items relating to the 2022 budget, including the Whitecourt & District Library’s budget presentation, which included members of the Library Board and the Library’s Director. Committee members also heard the Landfill Authority Budget presentation. Other agenda items were the water and sewer rates and a bylaw update about fees, rates, and charges for Town facilities and services. Committee members asked questions, received clarification where needed, and more information will be gathered by Administration ahead of the items appearing at a future Council meeting.

Woodlands County Council meetings and several committee meetings are recorded and saved on the Woodlands County YouTube channel. The Governance and Priorities meetings will follow that same lead. To view upcoming or previous agendas to go along with recorded broadcasts, visit  https://woodlands.ab.ca and click on Government, followed by Council Meetings. Finally, click on CivicWeb Portal, highlighted in green.

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