We all know Mayor and Councillors sit around a table once a week and work through an agenda- that may include development applications, 'housekeeping bylaws', correspondence, minutes, delegations, budget, etc. These meetings alternate weekly between formal decision making and a committee of the whole- structured less formally to discuss and allow for public input.
In addition, there are hearings, closed Council meetings about 'land, labour, and law' (16 so far this year), informal meetings with the likes of BC Hydro or Translink. A couple of times a year there are strategic sessions held, to identify priorities and review progress toward stated goals.
Then there are committees of Council to which Councillors are appointed by the Mayor, and to which they are liaison or active, but are expected to attend regularly.
I have been on:
- Parks and Recreation
- Community School Joint Management Committee
- Civic Facilities Task Force, then the Working Group
- Greenways Committee
- Sewer Committee
Annually, there is the five day Union of BC Municipalities convention, and usually 3-5 elected officials attend this. Some go more regularly than others. As well, there is an annual Lower Mainland Local Government Association conference, much like UBCM in focus, but smaller and hands on. There are meetings with provincial government staff and cabinet ministers at both conventions, and an opportunity to network with other local governments as well as attend workshops. I go to all UBCM and alternate LMLGA conferences.
Beyond that, individual councillors take on initiatives of their own. That's where there is a lot of divergence. Howe Sound Forum meets 2-3 times a year, which I attend. But there are other learning and networking opportunities. Here are some for which I have taken time to attend:
- GVRD Council of Councils
- Built Green conference
- Wood Works symposium and showcase
- Procurement Workshop (Best practices in municipal contracts)
- Smart Growth BC Annual Exhibition/Meeting
- Sea-to-Sky Air Quality Management Plan meetings (3-4x/yr)
- BC Tourism Workshop
- Waste Technologies presentations
- GVRD Sustainable Region sessions
- Riparian Area Regulations Workshop
- Legal primers and 'effective meeting training'
All this adds up to a lot of time. Some may argue that these are 'beyond the job description', but to be effective requires that one gets beyond the steep learning curve. Plus, it broadens and deepens the reservoir of knowledge that stands behind every decision.
Finally, there are the initiatives that a Councillor brings forward and championed. In my case it has been everything from the Women's Home Safe Program to assisting the writing of grants for the Spirit Square and Towns for Tomorrow, that led to a $400,000 sewer grant. I looked into Re-Use -it Store models on Pender, Salt Spring, Hornby, Saturna, Mayne and at Whistler. I checked out recycling operations as well. I compared approaches in construction of Fire Halls at Whistler, Pender, West Van. and Colwood, all of whom built new facilities within the last few years. I did a remuneration analysis for mayor/councillors, helped Abbeyfield work through their density and building form options, and put together a first draft of a forest retention bylaw. I brought the anti-idling bylaw forward, and it has now passed.
Another three years will see that list expand, if re-elected!
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