Changes are in the plans for the structure of Summerland’s municipal council meetings.
Mayor Peter Waterman said he plans to introduce some changes to the bylaw which governs the structure of the meetings.
One of the changes will be a 10-minute open question time at the start of the meetings.
Speakers will have two minutes each to present their questions to the council.
In addition, the existing question period at the end of the meeting will continue, but it will come prior to adjournment.
At present, the question period comes after the council meeting has been adjourned.
The changes will provide a greater opportunity for public participation and input, Waterman said.
While the proposed structure changes are a departure from Summerland’s past council meeting format, they are in use in other communities.
He also plans to revisit the Committee of the Whole meetings.
At present, these meetings are held on the mornings of Monday council meetings. Items are considered and clarified, but the resolutions are not passed until the evening meetings.
In order to adopt the changes to the meeting structure, the municipality’s procedure bylaw must first be amended.