A Peachland councillor believes the public should have been consulted before changing regular council meetings to a 3 p.m. start time.
“The public is largely satisfied to the extent that our meetings are now broadcast and they’re available online,” Coun. Terry Condon said council’s May 6 meeting. “But it seems to me we are putting the cart before the horse. I would be more comfortable going to our residents before we make this change.”
Regular council meetings start at 6 p.m., generally every second Tuesday. However, council also holds Committee of the Whole, and special meetings earlier on those Tuesdays.
“The shift to the 3 p.m. start is intended to improve internal efficiency, reduce staff overtime costs, and align with the consultant and third party availability during standard business hours,” Jennifer Sawatzky, director of corporate services, told council.
Public notice of the change was provided, she added. Residents can view the bylaw amendment online or at the district office.
The new schedule is a pilot program running until the end of 2025, giving the district time to assess its effectiveness before making it permanent.
Condon questioned what criteria would be used to evaluate the change.
“A reduction in special meetings would be a measurement we could use to indicate if we’re using council’s time in a good manner,” Sawatzky responded. “Another metric could be the attendance of public members in the audience.”
Someone else at the meeting noted that public attendance was a “hot ticket,” a sentiment Condon agreed with.
“I think we all know attendance at public council meetings…it’s a real hot ticket,” Condon said, chuckling.
Council unanimously gave the bylaw amendment three readings, with the final adoption scheduled for a future meeting.
