Monday, November 4, 2013

Duties of a municipal Councillor

I have received some feedback over the last week about what is and isn't councillor's duties, the simplest response to that is the Municipal Government Act.

Under Part 5, Division 3 of the act it clearly lays out those duties I draw your attention to section (d):

Duties, Titles and Oaths of Councillors

General duties of councillors

153 Councillors have the following duties:

 (a) to consider the welfare and interests of the municipality as
a whole and to bring to council’s attention anything that
would promote the welfare or interests of the
municipality;

 (b) to participate generally in developing and evaluating the
policies and programs of the municipality;

 (c) to participate in council meetings and council committee
meetings and meetings of other bodies to which they are
appointed by the council;

 (d) to obtain information about the operation or
administration of the municipality from the chief
administrative officer or a person designated by the chief
administrative officer;

 (e) to keep in confidence matters discussed in private at a
council or council committee meeting until discussed at a
meeting held in public;

 (f) to perform any other duty or function imposed on
councillors by this or any other enactment or by the
council.

Under Part 7, Public Participation it states the following:

216 Repealed 1994 cM-26.1 s738.

What information must a municipality provide

217(1), (2) Repealed 1994 cM-26.1 s738.

(3) Despite Division 2 of Part 1 of the Freedom of Information and
Protection of Privacy Act, the chief administrative officer must
provide information on the salaries of councillors, the chief
administrative officer and designated officers of the municipality.

(4), (5) Repealed 1994 cM-26.1 s738.

1994 cM-26.1 ss217,738

218 Repealed 1994 cM-26.1 s738.


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dean, any idea how much the last council budgeted for the recreational study and survey?

Crowsnest Pass Home said...

$90,000 we asked for all of the back ground information last night.

Anonymous said...

Big rumour on the streets. Any truth to it. Regarding a management position!

peter rosner said...

Highly unlikely that Dean would comment on this and wisely so. But if inquiring minds want to know it sounds like the CAO is leaving.

Anonymous said...

Dean, did I hear right at Tuesday's council meeting that this far into the Peace Officer program they still don't know what portion of the fines reach municipal coffers. But yet they report with glee the dollar value.
fw

Crowsnest Pass Home said...

Peter it is now common knowledge the CAO informed the staff the next morning. In addition Randy announced it on the radio.
FW you heard right, I also suspect the answer will be the exact same percentage if the RCMP wrote the ticket.

Anonymous said...

According to the Herald:
"Crowsnest Pass’s Chief Administrative Officer Myron Thompson resigned at an In-Camera session of Municipal Council on November 5th."

I don't see how the information that the CAO resigned qualifies as confidential. Why was it in camera?

(Assuming the Herald got that right).

Anonymous said...

Issues that are dealt with in camera are legal, personell, and land use.

Anonymous said...

12:50 wrote:"Issues that are dealt with in camera are legal, personell, and land use."

MGA 197(2) Councils and council committees may close all or part of their meetings to the public if a matter to be discussed is within one of the exceptions to disclosure in Division 2 of Part 1 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
http://www.qp.alberta.ca/1266.cfm?page=m26.cfm&leg_type=Acts&isbncln=9780779756155&display=html

FOIPP Act:
http://www.qp.alberta.ca/1266.cfm?page=F25.cfm&leg_type=Acts&isbncln=9780779765812&display=html

The exceptions are explained in detail in Chapter 4 linked on this page:
http://www.servicealberta.ca/foip/resources/guidelines-and-practices.cfm