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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCLK 04-21 Report to Executive Committee Report Number: CLK 04-21 Date: September 13, 2021 From: Paul Bigioni Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor Subject: 2022 Committee and Council Meeting Schedule File: A-1440 Recommendation: 1. That the 2022 Committee and Council Meeting Schedule appended as Attachment No. 1 to Report CLK 04-21 be approved; and, 2. That the appropriate City of Pickering officials be authorized to take the necessary actions as indicated in this report. Executive Summary: In accordance with Section 238(2) of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O 2001, c.25, every municipality shall pass a procedure by-law for governing the calling, place and proceedings of meetings and the procedure by-law shall provide for public notice of meetings. To comply with the provisions of the Municipal Act and Procedure By-law 7665/18, as amended, the 2022 Committee and Council Meeting Schedule is presented to Council for approval. Financial Implications: There are no financial implications associated with this Report or the adoption of the 2022 Meeting Schedule. Discussion: In the spirt of openness, transparency and accountability, the adoption and posting of the annual Committee and Council Schedule is an important exercise to ensure as much advance notice is provided to the public for upcoming Committee and Council Meetings. Section 04.02 of the Procedure By-law provides for all regular meetings of Council to be held on the fourth Monday of each month at 7:00 pm and if a Council Meeting falls on a public or civic holiday, the Council shall meet at the same hour on the next following day, which is not a public or civic holiday, unless otherwise provided by resolution of the Council. Section 04.05 states the Executive Committee shall meet on the first Monday of each month at 2:00 p.m., and the Planning & Development Committee shall meet on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m., unless otherwise provided by resolution of the Council. CLK 04-21 September 13, 2021 Subject: 2022 Committee and Council Meeting Schedule Page 2 Every effort has been made to adhere to the above noted provisions of the Procedure By-law and any variances or adjustments are due to statutory holidays and/or significant events or dates. In addition to regular Committee and Council meetings, and in coordination with Community Services Staff, a date has been included for the annual Civic Awards Ceremony being May 9, 2022. This date is tentative with the understanding that the ability to hold the event is dependent on the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the ability to have members of the public physically attend City Hall, in accordance with public health measures. At the request of the Director, Finance & Treasurer, two dates have been included on the Meeting Schedule for the Executive Committee Budget Meeting dates being March 10 and 11 (if needed). Education and Training Sessions, In-Camera meetings, and other Special Council meetings are not included in the schedule, however these meetings can be called by the Mayor if required. Statutory holidays have also been included on the Meeting Schedule for ease of reference. 2022 Municipal Election Impact The 2022 Municipal Election will be held on Monday, October 24, 2022. As per Section 6(1) of the Municipal Elections Act, the 2022-2026 Term of Council will begin on November 15, 2022. In keeping with past practice in election years, Regular Council and Committee meetings have not been scheduled for the months of October and November, and the final meeting of the 2018-2022 term of City Council has been scheduled for September 19, 2022. The Inaugural Meeting for the 2022-2026 Term of Council is scheduled for November 21, 2022, in accordance with the City’s Procedure By-law. A Special Council Meeting is also being recommended for December 5, 2022, to afford the new Council opportunity to consider any necessary matters prior to the commencement of the 2023 regular Council/Committee Schedule. It is necessary to modify the Committee and Council meeting schedule to accommodate the election period due to the large volume of staff time that will be required to prepare for the election in the months leading up to October 2022. This commitment is amplified after Nomination Day and holds steady until after Election Day. Every staff person from the Legislative Services Division, and various other departments within the City, will be called upon to help administer the election during this time. As the last cycle of Committee/Council Meetings are proposed to be scheduled after Nomination Day (Friday, August 19, 2022), there is a potential for Council to be restricted, by Section 275 of the Municipal Act, in the actions and decisions it is permitted to make if it can be determined there is the possibility that less than three-quarters of the Members of the outgoing Council will serve on the incoming Council. This is referred to as the ‘lame duck’ period. For Pickering City Council, three-quarters of the outgoing Council is six of the seven current Members. CLK 04-21 September 13, 2021 Subject: 2022 Committee and Council Meeting Schedule Page 3 There are two different scenarios provided for in the Municipal Act when a lame duck situation could be in effect: 1. After nomination day but before voting day, the determination shall be based on the nominations to the new Council that have been certified and any acclamations made to the new Council; and, 2. After voting day, the determination shall be based on the declaration of the results of the election including declarations of election by acclamation. (Note: This situation will not present itself if there are no Council meetings scheduled after voting day until the inaugural meeting of the 2022-2026 Council). The acts of Council that are restricted under the Municipal Act during a lame duck period are as follows: • the appointment or removal from office of any officer of the municipality; • the hiring or dismissal of any employee of the municipality; • the disposition of any real or personal property of the municipality which has a value exceeding $50,000 at the time of disposal (unless the disposition was included in the most recent budget adopted by Council before Nomination Day); and, • making any expenditures or incurring any other liability which exceeds $50,000 (unless the liability was included in the most recent budget adopted by Council before Nomination Day). Despite these provisions, Council is not prohibited from delegating authority to another person or body to exercise any authority of a municipality if the delegation is made prior to Nomination Day, and nothing prevents Council from taking action in the event of an emergency. Should it be determined that Council is in a lame duck position, the Clerk will provide more detailed information to Council and Staff in this regard. The modifications presented for the upcoming Municipal Election only apply to the 2022 Meeting Schedule and it is anticipated that a regular meeting schedule will resume in 2023 in accordance with the Procedure By-law. Once approved by Council, the Meeting Schedule dates will be posted on the City’s Event Calendar on the website, and circulated to Members of Council and Staff in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures. CLK 04-21 September 13, 2021 Subject: 2022 Committee and Council Meeting Schedule Page 4 Attachment: 1. 2022 Committee and Council Meeting Schedule Prepared By: Original Signed By: Susan Cassel City Clerk Approved/Endorsed By: Original Signed By: Paul Bigioni Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor SC:cb Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Original Signed By: Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer Committee & Council Meeting Schedule 2022 January S M T W T F S 1 2 3 10 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 February S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 24 25 26 21 28 27 March S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 April S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 18 25 26 27 28 29 30 2 9 May S T W T F S 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 M June S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 July S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 August S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 September S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 October S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 November S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 December S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Committee Meeting Council Meeting Special Council Civic Awards Nomination Day Statutory Holidays Municipal & School Board Election Inaugural Meeting Budget