Regina city council is taking another look at the rules which determine who can speak at council meetings in a fresh attempt to reduce the length of those sessions for councillors, city staff and the public alike.
Coun. Sarah Turnbull (Ward 5) has submitted a motion asking to amend the Procedure Bylaw so “non-residents of Regina” are limited to written submissions if they wish to address issues up for debate at city council meetings.
If out-of-town delegates want to speak in person or virtually, they would need the endorsement of a city councillor to do so, says the motion.
The notice of motion is to be read on Wednesday and city council is expected to consider the idea at its next meeting on June 11.
Turnbull says this change would offer “improvements to our delegate process” for guests and for council’s efficiency.
“The priority of Regina is local issues and citizens and the open-ended policy for virtual delegations has put the council at risk for filibustering, therefore creating inefficiency in governance and spending,” reads her motion.
Hours-long city council meetings have become a regular occurrence, most recently in May during a special session that was called to reconsider the decision to add fluoride in Regina’s water.
Almost half of the 25 people who spoke at that eight-hour meeting were not from Regina, calling in from Ontario, Calgary and the U.S.
Currently, Regina’s rules allow any person to speak or submit a written presentation to city council at either an executive committee or council meeting. Delegates are required to say where they’re from.
City council tried to change the rules in 2021, limiting residents to just speaking at executive committee sessions in order to shorten council meetings. While it passed initially, council reversed the decision two weeks later after public pushback.
Turnbull’s motion also asks administration to look into ways to improve the waiting process for delegations, like setting time frames to be available, creating a digital queue with notifications, and setting up a watch area at city hall during meetings.
Original article online at: https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/city-hall/new-motion-aims-to-restrict-out-of-town-delegates-at-regina-city-council-meetings