City of Sarnia committees will be allowed to meet after all during this year’s municipal election campaign.
City of Sarnia committees will be allowed to meet after all during this year’s municipal election campaign.
Sarnia city council this week unanimously donated a February decision to put select committees on hold for a two-month blackout period between the deadline for nominations Aug. 19 and voting day Oct. 24.
“I sit on a number of committees and all the committees have indicated that if we were to suspend these meetings … a lot of the traction that’s been gained during the course of these meetings would be stopped in their tracks,” said Coun. George Vandenberg, making the reconsideration motion.
Thirteen city advisory committees would have been affected by council’s February decision.
Several had prepared to ask for exemptions if council didn’t reverse course, said Coun. Brian White, who voted against suspending committee meetings in February as well.
“This decision was met with a lot of disappointment and frustration on behalf of members of this community who have agreed to do a lot of work on our behalf,” White said.
The same blackout period, but for council meetings – unless there’s an emergency – was approved a year ago to prevent substantial decisions from being made without there necessarily being accountability, city officials have said.
Committees, though, don’t make decisions but instead provide recommendations to council, said Coun. Terry Burrell.
“Although they may not be available to this council, certainly the work could continue and be of value to the next council,” he said.
Council was down to six members at the March 21 meeting, so a simple majority and the two-thirds needed to vote on the reconsideration at the same meeting – instead of referring it to council’s next meeting – were both four votes, clerk Amy Burkhart noted .
Regardless, both votes – to reconsider and the motion to allow the committees to continue uninterrupted – were unanimous.
A work plan for the city’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples committee that includes work into the fourth quarter of 2022 was unanimously approved prior to the reconsideration vote.
“If we’re going to OK it for one committee, we should be OKing it for all committees,” Coun. Mike Stark said.
Mayor Mike Bradley, Coun. Bill Dennis and Coun. Dave Boushy were absent.