BANFF – Banff’s elected officials are exploring ways to clearly lay out expectations for councillors appointed to boards and committees.
At a meeting Monday (March 25), council unanimously directed administration to come up with potential amendments to a policy covering boards, committees, commissions, corporations and external agencies to set out expectations of council’s responsibilities, including meeting attendance.
“I am looking for clarity from my colleagues on what do we expect from each other in those meetings,” said Coun. Barb Pelham, who brought forward the motion. “I see this as a positive step.”
The issue of council attendance was raised by Pelham at the March 11 governance and finance committee meeting during discussion of a memo outlining council attendance from July to October last year.
The memo showed Coun. Ted Christensen had missed all seven meetings over the four-month period to boards he had been appointed to, including Banff Heritage Corporation, Banff Public Library, and a library sub-committee.
Christensen, who was not at the March 11 governance and finance committee meeting because he was attending a conference, said he was taken aback by Pelham’s comments at that public meeting and felt blindsided when called by the Outlook on the issue.
He said his absence from meetings due to a 54-day vacation in the Mediterranean and previous commitments didn’t warrant being referred to as “horrendous” and “didn’t appear to me to have that gravity.”
“I would like to understand why and how this matter was allowed to be presented in the manner it was,” he said during Monday’s council meeting, noting he would have appreciated a heads-up.
“I found this to be disrespectful and I was anticipating that council would question that when it was brought up and speak to it … I found it to be hurtful.”
Mayor Corrie DiManno said the bi-annual attendance memos of the committee's councillors are appointed to are a way for elected officials to be held accountable not only to their colleagues but to the public.
“The expectation is you attend 100 per cent of your meetings, and of course, life happens, people are sick, people go on vacation, priorities arise, and it’s really tough to be at two places at once,” she said.
“That being said, we collect this data and that’s what we learned from it. You learn what your colleagues are up to and folks had something to say about it. I don’t think it was meant to be hurtful or disrespectful.”
Pelham, who acknowledged she could have picked up the phone to Christensen ahead of time, said she did find it shocking that he attended none of the seven meetings in that four-month time period.
She said the community and other members of these boards expect councillors to show up to committees to which they are appointed, as they are important links to the community.
“We’re meant to prepare for these meetings, attend the meetings, contribute to the meetings, listen to what that organization’s concerns and ideas and projects are, and then relay that back to council, and vice versa relay what council is working on to those committees and to those organizations,” she said.
“There’s a tremendous disconnect if there’s no representation from council on those committees.”
Coun. Hugh Pettigrew, who supported a report coming back to council with potential amendments to the policy, said he understood some of the thinking behind Pelham’s motion.
“But I see this as a distraction to council’s business, I think that we’re getting into the weeds and it’s becoming a bit of drama that’s not required,” he said.
Pettigrew was unsuccessful in an attempt to have the public remuneration committee look at per diems as a way to encourage attendance.
The next information memo will be presented at the end of June, which will report on council attendance from Nov. 1, 2023 until May 31, 2024.
