REQUEST FOR DIRECTION
DATE: March 3, 2017 Report No. ADM-17-005
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Anja Nurvo, Director of Corporate Services
SUBJECT:
Title
Council Liaison Role - Policy Review
End
ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
Do the existing Council Policies need to be revised to clarify the role of the Council Liaison to community groups; and does Council wish to appoint a Council Liaison to the three community groups receiving in-kind support that currently do not have a Council Liaison?
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That the Committee of the Whole receive Staff Report ADM-17-005 for information, provide any additional direction to staff as the COTW considers advisable relating to the current Council Policies and the role of the Council Liaison to community groups and committees, and direct staff to prepare a report for Council’s consideration.
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BACKGROUND:
During the Strategic Planning session held by Council on January 21st, 2017, Council discussed local community and special interest groups and those organizations that receive local grant funding. Council directed staff to:
1. Review all community groups that are considered “established” and those that receive local grant funding, to consider appointment of a Council Liaison; and
2. Add to COTW to review the current Council Policy relating to the role of the Council Liaison to Advisory Committees, to determine its applicability to the role of the Council Liaison to other community groups to clarify the groups’ expectations of the Council representative/appointment.
1. Role of Council Liaison
Council Policy ADMIN-45 ‘Operational Guidelines for Council Committees and Commissions’, a copy of which is attached for information, contains a section on Roles. For Council Liaison, it states as follows:
“The role of Council Liaison(s) of a committee/commission shall be to:
• assist the committee/commission with focus and clarity regarding Council’s Strategic Plan;
• represent the interests of Council based on existing policies, budget and Strategic Plan.”
Council Policies setting out the Terms of Reference of the existing Advisory Committees state that the membership may include up to four non-voting members, including the Staff Liaison, Recording Secretary and up to two Council Liaisons. Non-voting members are not included in the determination of quorum for any committee.
The Advisory Planning Commission Bylaw, 2012, No. 2792 states that all meetings of the APC and the Design Review Committee (DRC) shall be open to the public, and that the public will be given the opportunity to speak to the application at a Council meeting but will not be given an opportunity to speak to an application during an APC or DRC meeting. The Bylaw also contains the following clause:
s. 21 Resource persons may attend APC and DRC meetings as follows:
a. Any Council member, employee or officer of the Township, or the Approving Officer for the Township, may attend a meeting in a resource capacity and may be invited to speak by the Chair.
c. Persons attending meetings in a resource or advisory capacity shall not vote on matters under consideration.
The role of the Council Liaison to Advisory Committees as well as to the APC and DRC is clearly addressed in Council Policy ADMIN-45, in Council Policies setting out the Terms of Reference of Advisory Committees, and in Bylaw No. 2792.
Council Policy ADMIN-32 is the Local Grants Policy. This Policy was amended on October 3, 2016, to include provisions to deal specifically with Established Events and In Kind Support. It states as follows:
“For any community event receiving in kind support, Council may:
• elect a Councillor to act in an advisory and liaison capacity with the Committee and attend committee meetings; and
• request that a staff representative attend committee meetings.”
It is clear from the revised Local Grants Policy that the role of the Council representative to community organizations is intended to be the same as that of Council Liaison appointments to the Township’s Advisory Committees and Commissions. The Council Liaison’s role for both types of committees is to attend meetings, to act in an advisory and liaison capacity, and to assist the organization as required with clarity regarding existing Township policies, the current budget and Council’s Strategic Plan.
It is not intended that the Council Liaison’s role is to take an active part in the deliberations or in the formulation of the committee’s or organization’s decisions or recommendations to Council. Their opportunity for influence comes at the Council table when Council is considering the committee’s recommendations, and not at the committee table when the committee is formulating them. In addition to providing clarity when requested or as appropriate around the Strategic plan, policies and budget, the Council Liaison should attend meetings to observe the discussion and be in a position to assist Council in explaining the rationale and reasoning behind a committee’s recommendations to Council.
In staff’s opinion, there are no revisions required to the existing Council Policies to clarify the role of the Council Liaison to committees and community organizations. However, staff will ensure that the appropriate role of the Council Liaison to committees is adequately reviewed at the annual committee orientation for committee members, members of Council and staff liaisons. In addition, when preparing letters to community organizations advising them of the Council appointments, staff will include a clause regarding the role of the Council Liaison in order to clarify the group’s expectations.
2. Council Liaison Appointments to Community Groups
Each year, Council makes appointments of Council members to act as Council Liaison to several community organizations. For 2017, appointments were made to the following organizations receiving Local Grant funding or in kind support from the Township:
• Buccaneer Days Committee
• Celebration of Lights Committee
• Esquimalt Ribfest
• Esquimalt Together Against Graffiti
• Township Community Arts Council
The following three additional organizations, which do not currently have a Council Liaison, were identified as “Established Events” in the Report dealing with 2017 Local Grants Allocation (Staff Report FIN-17-003 considered by Council at its meeting held on March 6th, 2017):
• Esquimalt Lantern Festival Society ($8,000)
• Victoria Nikkei Society ($1,000)
• Esquimalt Farmers Market Society ($12,000)
ISSUES:
Of the seven local groups noted as Established Events receiving Local Grant support from the Township of Esquimalt, Council has appointed a Council Liaison to four, leaving three currently without a Council Liaison. Council should consider whether, in accordance with Policy ADMIN-32 ‘Local Grants’, Council wishes to appoint a Council Liaison to any of the three identified community organizations.
It is staff’s opinion that the existing Council Policies adequately address the role of the Council Liaison to Advisory Committees, Commissions and community groups, and that no revisions are recommended at this time.
ALTERNATIVES:
1. That the COTW receive Staff Report No. ADM-17-005 for information, provide any additional direction to staff relating to the current Council Policies and the role of the Council Liaison to committees as the COTW considers advisable, and direct staff to prepare a report for Council’s consideration.
2. That the COTW provide alternative direction to staff.
3. That the COTW request further information from staff.