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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCLD-001-07 CJlJJigglOn REPORT CLERK'S DEPARTMENT Meeting: General Purpose and Administration Committee Date: January 8, 2006 Report #: CLD-001-07 File #: 6PA~OIQ/~Ol By-law #: Subject: APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMITTEES POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report CLD-001-07 be received; and 2. THAT the Appointments to Boards and Committees Policy (Attachment 1 to this Report) be approved FORTHWITH. Submitted by:- a , A.M.C.T. unicipal Clerk Reviewed bl)~ ~. Franklin Wu, Chief Administrative Officer PLB*CAG CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L 1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 F 905-623-6506 REPORT NO.: CLD-001-07 PAGE 2 BACKGROUND AND COMMENT Council has created a number of committees to provide advice on various matters. Council appoints the members of these committees at the beginning of each term. There are two main types of Council – Appointed Advisory Committees: Standing Advisory Committees and Project Specific Committees. As well there are a number of other committees either created by the Municipality or on which there is some level of municipal representation, such as: Project Committees Appointed by Department Head (eg. Heritage Conservation District and Community Imporvement Plans); Community Committees (eg. St. Marys Community Relations Committee, Valley 2000); Statutory Committees (eg. Committee of Adjustment). Committee appointments are usually for the same duration as the Term of Council. 1. Customary Process It is customary practice that early in the first year of a council term of office, the Municipal Clerk places an advertisement in the newspaper listing all the boards and committees to which Council will be making appointments, and inviting citizens to apply to sit on the committees. Interested citizens submit an application to the Municipal Clerk’s detailing their reasons for applying. The Municipal Clerk, or designate then compiles the applications and provides Council with a list of applications for each committee and includes a copy of each application. The applications are considered by the General Purpose and Administration Committee in a closed meeting. In open session, a resolution of the GPA is passed with the respective appointments. This resolution is then ratified at the next scheduled Council Meeting. 2. Issues / Concerns The customary process as detailed in Section 1 has been in place for more than three terms of Council. The process requires minimal staff resources to administer, and appointments are most often made with little or no input from staff. The existing procedure for appointment could be viewed as not being an open and transparent process, as there are no defined criteria for eligibility for appointment. Additionally, the goals and objectives of the committees could be compromised or frustrated when appointed members do not have the necessary (or appropriate) knowledge, skills or commitment. Proposed Process 3. It is recommended that a policy be adopted by Council whereby applicants are screened by staff who would be involved with the Committee in some manner. Screening criteria would be CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON TF 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 905-623-3379 905-623-6506 REPORT NO.: CLD-001-07 PAGE 3 based on a resume (or reasonable facsimile thereof) which should provide sufficient details for staff to assess the applicant in the following areas: ? Education ? Knowledge of the focus of the committee ? Experience ? Ability ? Past community involvement ? Commitment Attachement 1 to this report is a proposed draft policy which is recommended for Council endorsement. ATTACHMENT: Attachment 1 – Appointments to Boards and Committees Policy CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON TF 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 905-623-3379 905-623-6506 Attachment 1 Council Appointments to Boards and Committees 1. Purpose: a) To establish a standardized, transparent and fair process for Council appointments to Boards and Committees. 2. Policy: a) Council appointments to boards and committees will be made by Council in January of the first year of each Term of Council. b) The Term of the appointment shall be the same as the Term of Council unless otherwise stated. c) Persons wishing to sit on a board or committee shall submit an application including a resume (or other reasonable facsimile) to the Municipal Clerk's Department. d) The Municipal Clerk's Department shall coordinate the application process. 3. Procedures: 3.1 Application a) In November of the last year of the Term of Council the Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall ensure that the opportunity for appointments to boards and committees is advertised (in the local newspapers as well as on the Municipal website). The advertisement shall advertise the application process. b) The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall receive all applications for appointment. c) Generally speaking, each board or committee works closely with a department (eg. Committee of Adjustment works closely with Planning Services, Property Standards Committee works closely with the Municipal Clerk's Department, etc.). 3.2 Evaluation a) The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall assemble the applications according to board/committee and shall forward a copy of the application packages to the appropriate Department Head for consideration. Page 1 of6 b) Department Heads shall then evaluate the applications based on the following criteria: ./ Education ./ Knowledge of the focus of the committee/board ./ Experience ./ Ability ./ Past community involvement ./ Commitment c) The Department Head shall reserve the right to conduct interviews with applicants if deemed necessary. 3.3 Recommendation a) Each Department Head shall notify the Municipal Clerk of their appointment recommendations. b) The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall prepare a report to General Purpose and Administration Committee (GP&A) recommending appointments to each board and committee. 3.4 GP&A Consideration of Staff Recommendations a) The staff report to GP&A will be included on an agenda for a regularly scheduled GP&A meeting in January of the first year of the Term of Council. b) Copies of the complete applications shall be supplied to Members of Council in a confidential package under separate cover from the GP&A Agenda. c) The report shall be considered at the end of the GP&A meeting, in open session and shall be chaired by the Mayor. d) To consider the recommendations contained in the report, a mover and a seconder will be required. e) The appointments will be dispensed as a consent agenda item, similar to the method by which Council dispenses with correspondence Information items in a Council Meeting. The entire list of committee$ with the respective recommended appointments shall be moved and seconded. The Chair shall then offer the Members of Council the opportunity to pull any committees to which they wish to speak or to which they wish to nominate a different applicant( s). f) The GP&A shall then vote on the remainder. 3.5 Nomination and Votina Where a Member of Council does not wish to make appointments to a board or committee as recommended by staff, a nomination and voting process shall be followed for appointment to that board or committee. No nomination will be allowed to stand unless the candidate has filed their Application for Appointment with the Municipal Clerk on or before the advertised deadline. Page 2 of6 a) Method of Voting Council is required to resolve whether: Voting will be by voice; or Voting will be by secret ballot. b) Tally of Votes 1. When voting is by voice where only two candidates are involved, the votes shall be tallied and results declared by the Municipal Clerk, or designate. 2. Where voting is by voice and where more than two candidates are involved, the votes will be tallied and results declared by the Municipal Clerk, or designate. 3. Where voting is by ballot, the votes will be tallied and results declared by the Municipal Clerk, or designate. c) Voting Process - by voice 1. A successful candidate must receive a majority of vote of all members of Council present at the meeting. All appointments will be formally confirmed by resolution and by-law. 2. The Chair shall announce the number of positions to be filled for the board or committee. The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall record the applicant names on the display in the Chambers. 3. The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall request each Member of Council to state the name(s) of the applicants for whom they are voting. The Member of Council may only vote for up to as many positions on the committee or board as are to be filled. Over-votes are not permitted. 4. The order in which the Members of Council are to vote shall be alphabetical order beginning with the first round of voting in the meeting. Thereafter, the Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall ensure that the next round of votes begins with the next Councillor in alphabetical order. The Chair shall not be first to vote on any board or committee. Under no circumstance shall a Councillor be first to vote in two successive rounds of voting regardless of the committee or board for which they are voting. 5. The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall record the votes as they are stated. Page3of6 6. At the end of the round of voting, where there are fewer number of candidates who received a majority of votes than positions remaining to be filled on the board or committee, those candidates receiving a majority of votes shall be deemed to have been appointed. The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall remove the names of the appointed candidates from the list for the next round of voting. 7. At the end of the round of voting, where there are more candidates who received a majority of votes than positions remaining to be filled on the board or committee, beginning with the candidate with the highest number of votes and moving down the list (from highest to lowest) the number of candidates required to fill the positions shall be deemed to have been appointed. Where there is a tie among those candidates at the lowest end of the group of candidates having the majority and the number of tied candidates is greater than the number of available positions, only those higher than those candidates in the tie are deemed to have been appointed and only those tied candidates shall be included in the next round of voting. 8. At the end of the round of voting, where there are no candidates who received a majority of votes, the round is scratched and a new round of voting is conducted. 9. The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall record the appointment(s) at the end of each round of voting, on a display in the Chambers. 10. In the event of three successive rounds of voting with the same results, a deadlock shall be declared by the Chair and a draw by lot will be conducted by the Municipal Clerk, or designate. 11. Should the draw by lot be to fill a single vacancy when only two candidates remain, the candidate whose name is drawn shall be declared the successful appointee to the position. 12. Should the draw by lot be to fill more than one vacancy, the Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall draw the number of names as there are vacancies. Each name drawn shall be declared a successful appointee to the position, and shall be announced prior to drawing the next name. 13. Once voting is complete, a resolution shall be passed to make the appointments as was determined by the vote prior to proceeding to the next committee appointments. Page 4 of6 Voting Process - by ballot 1. A successful candidate must receive a majority of vote of all members of Council present at the meeting. All appointments will be formally confirmed by resolution and by-law. 2. Where voting is by ballot, the Chair shall announce how many seats are to be appointed for the committee or board. The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall record the applicant names on the display in the Chambers. Each member of Council shall then record their nominees on the ballot. 3. The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall then collect the ballots from the Members of Council and shall tally the votes. 4. At the end of the round of voting, where there are fewer number of candidates who received a majority of votes than positions remaining to be filled on the board or committee, those candidates receiving a majority of votes shall be deemed to have been appointed. The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall remove the names of the appointed the candidates from the list for the next round of voting. 5. At the end of the round of voting, where there are more candidates who received a majority of votes than positions remaining to be filled on the board or committee, beginning with the candidate with the highest number of votes and moving down the list (from highest to lowest) the number of candidates required to fill the positions shall be deemed to have been appointed. Where there is a tie among those candidates at the lowest end of the group of candidates having the majority and the number of tied candidates is greater than the number of available positions, only those higher than those candidates in the tie are deemed to have been appointed and only those tied candidates shall be included in the next round of voting. 6. At the end of the round of voting, where there are no candidates who received a majority of votes, the round is scratched and a new round of voting is conducted. 7. The Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall record the appointment(s) at the end of each round of voting, on a display in the Chambers. 8. In the event of three successive rounds of voting with the same results, a deadlock shall be declared by the Chair and a draw by lot will be conducted by the Municipal Clerk, or designate. 9. Should the draw by lot be to fill a single vacancy when only two candidates remain, the candidate whose name is drawn shall be declared the successful appointee to the position. Page 5 of6 10. Should the draw by lot be to fill more than one vacancy, the Municipal Clerk, or designate, shall draw the number of names as there are vacancies. Each name drawn shall be declared a successful appointee to the position, and shall be announced prior to drawing the next name. 11. Once voting is complete, a resolution shall be passed to make the appointments as was determined by the vote prior to proceeding to the next committee appointments. Custody, Scrutiny and Destruction of Ballots 1. Ballots shall be kept in the custody of the Municipal Clerk, or designate, until the adjournment of the Council meeting at which the appointments are confirmed and then shall be destroyed. 2. Ballots shall be open for inspection by Members of Council only, and only prior to the Council meeting at which the appointments are formally confirmed by Council by by-law. 4. Appendices: a) Appointment Application Form Page 60f6