Mayor Linnsie Clark (centre) and Coun. Andy McGrogan attend Monday's council meeting at city hall.--News Photo Collin Gallant
@MedicineHatNews
Monday’s city council meeting was delayed 15 minutes, and then almost postponed entirely after a technical glitch failed to link the city chamber’s video feed onto the city’s YouTube Channel.
An alternate video of the meeting should be posted soon, city communications staff said later Monday, but the hiccup potentially put the meeting offside with the city’s Council Procedures Bylaw, Mayor Linnsie Clark told councillors at 6:50 p.m.
That came after the closing of council’s annual organizational meeting, but regular council meeting procedures were updated during the pandemic to require the event be live-streamed.
Discussion followed with Couns. Cassi Hider and Robert Dumanowski suggesting the meeting was open to the public – about 10 members of the public and media attended in the gallery – and should proceed.
Other council members suggested the video conference footage would be inferior to regular footage that isolates speakers.
Eventually Clark and council agreed that the in-person meeting would proceed and a basic recording of the meeting from the city’s video-conferencing system would be posted at a later date. That video is now uploaded for viewing.
Appointments mainly left as is
Barring one minor change, council appointment assignments and duties of members on outside agencies were maintained on Monday night for the remaining year of the term.
Council is required to hold an organizational meeting each fall to determine committee assignments and set a schedule.
One year ahead of the 2025 municipal election, appointments and representation to council on various outside agencies were also maintained.
Coun. Ramona Robins, who had chaired the public services committee for the last three years, suggested that vice-chair Coun. Cassi Hider take over as head.
That and an amendment to that effect was found agreeable.
The make-up of the committee remains the same, with Robins remaining as a member.
The chair positions of three other main committees remained with Couns. Darren Hirsch (energy), Shila Sharps (development and infrastructure) and Robert Dumanowski (corporate services).
A complete list will appear in a future edition of the News.
Before 2023, assignments were determined by the mayor with council endorsement, but a change suggested for the council procedure bylaw in the early summer moves the practice to majority will of council.
At the opening of the organizational meeting, Mayor Linnsie Clark stated she felt there was general agreement to maintain the committee rosters.
Coun. Dumanowski moved a motion to that effect.
