CREMONA - In response to what mayor Tim Hagen says was an unreasonable disruption at a recent meeting, the Village of Cremona council has approved an updated a bylaw concerning proceedings and conduct of council and council committee meetings, which includes updated rules for delegations.
The move came by way of motion at the recent regularly scheduled council meeting.
Based in part on the existing Town of Sundre conduct of council bylaw, Cremona’s updated Bylaw No. 510-24 includes a requirement that, “A person wishing to have any matter considered by council, a letter or other communication shall be addressed to the chief administrative officer (CAO) and mayor and council and the letter or communication shall be printed, typewriter or legibly written, clearly set out the matter at issue and the request made of council, and be signed by the writer.”
Regarding delegations, the updated bylaw states that, “A member wishing to appear before council, individually or as a group, must make a written submission the CAO and mayor to arrive no later than noon on the Wednesday immediately prior to the next council meeting.”
Delegations are scheduled at the discretion of the CAO, subject to the volume of material in any given agenda, the number of requests for a specific meeting date and urgency of request, or subject matter.
The written submission must indicate information such as the “nature and purpose of the delegation and the material to be covered and presented.”
Presentations will be directed to the chair and will be limited to 15 minutes, although council can extend the time limits as necessary.
Information presented by the delegation will be restricted to one topic per person noted in the written submission and recorded on the meeting agenda. The delegation will be limited to three minutes.
“Delegations will not be heard regarding matters involving current or pending litigation, insurance claims, matters beyond the jurisdiction of council, or municipal freedom of information or protection of privacy matters.”
The Controls and Conduct of Council Meetings section of the bylaw states, in part, that members of the public gallery during council meetings “shall not address council unless included on the agenda as a delegation, unless authorized by the chair, shall maintain order and quiet, and shall not applaud or otherwise interrupt any speech or act of the members, or any other person addressing council.”
The presiding officer may “expel and exclude any person who creates a disturbance or acts improperly at which point the council meeting shall be recessed. The meeting shall be reconvened at the discretion of the chair.
“When a council member is addressing council the member shall not speak disrespectfully of other members, nor should raise his/her voice or use offensive language.”
The Village of Cremona's regularly scheduled council meeting in June was ended by the deputy mayor following disturbances from a small group of individuals who refused to recognize the chairman’s call for order, mayor Hagen told the Albertan.
The complete bylaw is on the village’s website.
