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THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF COBOURG

TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE: FILE NUMBER: Recommendation That Council approve the change in starting times for the Council and Committee of the Whole meetings from 7:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on a three month trial basis starting on Monday, January 7, 2013. Discussion The question of possibly changing the start times for Cobourg Council meetings relates to the strategic objective # 4 approved in 2011 of Continuously improving municipal policies and practices. On the surface, the necessity of holding Council meetings at 7:00 PM seems questionable in the context of todays technical and communications enabled environment. Attendance at Council meetings by the public is very low to say the least yet we know that many watch Council proceedings on COGECO TV. Looking at todays practice, there appears to be an argument that the time gap between the end of the working day and the start time of Council meetings results in less that optimum use of time on the part of all interested parties including the public. Furthermore, starting meetings at 7:00 PM does not appear to be supportive of public attendance and engagement. The question we need to address is whether or not there are compelling reasons for holding on to the current arrangement or could it be changed without damaging the rights of our citizens to be heard by Council or to participate in local government. The meeting time issue was first discussed at the October 5 Budget review and general information session. Subsequent to that, and with the arrival of our Communications Officer, a Managers brief was issued November 6 and communications to the public via Northumberland Today asking for their input occurred on November 8th, 12th and 15th. A posting was also made concerning this on the Town website. A notice was also run on the local radio station. Only 12 responses were received which was very disappointing. It seems reasonable to conclude that Council meeting times are not large on the radar screen for Cobourg citizens. Mayor Brocanier and Council Members Deputy Mayor Frost Cobourg Council Meeting Times December 1, 2012

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Results: 2 voiced support 2 were somewhat neutral 8 voiced opposition The main arguments against change can be summarized as: 1. An earlier start time would make it more difficult for working people to attend Council meetings. 2. The time change would serve to discourage younger working age citizens from running for office. Response: 1. The current start time of 7:00 PM is definitely not supporting attendance/participation at Council meetings by members of the public whether they are in the workforce or not. . Holding on to the status quo would appear to serve no useful purpose. Today, many citizens concerns are resolved outside Council meetings through simple contact with their elected representatives or through correspondence including electronic. We also know that a great many people have opted to see Council proceedings via COGECO TV broadcast and therefore be informed about events at Council. Those who cannot attend a Council meeting regardless of the established time can be assured that their voice will be heard. Using modern technologies we have the ability to bring Council meetings into the homes of those who are interested in seeing what is happening at Council and in keeping informed. COGECO have indicated that if we move to the 4:00 PM start they would be able to broadcast live at that time and rebroadcast later at 8:00 PM. This would materially increase public exposure to Council sessions. 2. Yes we need to see younger people step up and run for office. Anyone wishing to run for office however needs to know the truth about the time requirements. The 7:00 PM meetings are only a minor part of the demands of the position. In the environment of today, a Council member must have discretionary control over their time or they will perform poorly. There are maybe 40 Council meetings a year held in the evenings except for those in July and August. Beyond that, there are a great many more meetings and functions that a Council member must attend/preside over and these are for the most part held during 9 to 5 normal working hours.

Memo Council Meeting Times SF Dec 1 12

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Depending on the portfolio assigned, these other meetings and engagements can reach into the hundreds in a given year. Significant time commitments during the daytime are a fundamental requirement for the position. Also to be remembered is the time that goes into preparation for all these meetings and events. This requires even more daytime hours on the part of the Council member. Typically, in the smaller municipalities, Council members are often, professionals, business people, and retirees. The one common ingredient is that they must be able to manage their own time at their own discretion. Maintaining Council meeting times at 7:00 PM will not improve the situation and attract working people to the position. Other Municipalities A brief informal survey of other municipalities confirms that at present many have their meetings in the 6:30 7:30 time bracket. There are a number of exceptions however which are worth noting. Smaller Municipalities Comparable to Cobourg Collingwood 5:00 PM Combined East Gwillimbury 1:00 PM CoW 5:00 PM Regular Uxbridge 9:30 AM CoW 7:00 PM Regular Springwater 5:30 PM Combined Scugog 1:30 PM CoW 6:30 Regular Larger Municipalities Ottawa Toronto Brampton Hamilton London Sarnia

10:00 AM 9:30 AM 1:00 PM 5:00 PM 5:00 PM 4:00 PM

Note that some municipalities have Committee of the Whole and regular meetings combined into 1 format. In these cases the number of meetings is usually reduced by half. The conclusion is that other municipalities small and large are having their Council meetings inside the daytime envelope of 9 to 5 presumably with success. Recommendation That Council approve the change in starting times for the Council and Committee of the Whole meetings from 7:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on a three month trial basis starting on Monday, January 7, 2013. _______________________________ S. R. Frost Memo Council Meeting Times SF Dec 1 12

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Memo Council Meeting Times SF Dec 1 12

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