Kimberley City Council is going to conduct business in a slightly different way in the coming four years. In the past, Councillors were assigned to either the Operations or Administration committees, and sub-committees within those. Those committees would meet, discuss issues with staff or other delegations and debate pros and cons of items to be sent to Council.
However, it did come up a number of times with the past Council that if a councillor sat on the Operations committee, he or she was not always up to speed with what was going on with Administration, and vice versa.
Mayor Don McCormick has decided that rather than continue with the committee system, this council will try to operate with Committee of the Whole meetings, which all councillors attend. These meetings provide council an opportunity for a more in-depth look at any issue before it goes to the regular council meeting for decision.
The meetings have been regularly scheduled for alternate Mondays. If it’s not a regular Council meeting, then it’s Committee of the Whole. The first Committee of the Whole meeting is scheduled for January 5, the first regular Council meeting for January 12, 2015.
These meetings are open to the public and McCormick hopes to see people come out and see how Council decisions are made.