After expressly recognizing the need for shorter council meetings, council here again went into another marathon in-camera session, leaving dozens of local residents waiting in the chambers for two hours.
Council originally scheduled three in-camera sessions to be held following approval of the minutes; one involved litigation and the remaining items fell under personal matters (including labour relations) involving identifiable individuals.
At the outset, Mayor Lou Maieron asked, “is there any appetite on council to either limit the closed session or move it to later on?” He said concerns were raised by members of the audience.
Maieron noted councillor John Brennan’s suggestion to deal with the items requiring the solicitor’s presence, then hold the remaining closed session later on so members of the public in attendance would not be left waiting.
CAO Kathryn Ironmonger commented that one delegation slated for the Sept. 17 meeting was asked to appear before council at 8:30pm.
“I’d assumed it would be about a one hour in-camera session,” said Ironmonger.
Maieron said he had no problem hearing the delegation at 8:30pm.
Brennan said even if council dealt with just the solicitor information, council would not likely return to public session before 8:30pm.
Maieron said council could resume the closed session at the end of the meeting.
“The public is busy and they do not want to wait around when we are in closed session – unless there is something we are going to report on,” said Maieron.
However, as council discussed business arising from previous council minutes, the mayor began discussing aspects of the town’s fill bylaw.
Councillor Barb Tocher clarified that council has to hear from its solicitor on the matter.
“That item is in closed session and we probably should not have any discussion or ask questions until that time,” Tocher said.
The mayor thanked Tocher for her suggestion, and then again asked questions about the fill bylaw, outlining the history of residents’ concerns.
Tocher again said because the matter is in closed session, the discussion needed to end.
The mayor said people might like to hear more.
“I just wanted to know when the report would come forward,” Maieron added.
Council subsequently moved into closed session at 8:09pm. Councillors moved to a downstairs meeting room while 40-plus residents were left waiting for two hours.
Patience grew thin for some in the audience and more than one person left rather than wait it out.
Though the majority of council returned to the council chamber about an hour and 45 minutes later, both council and the audience had to wait another 15 minutes for the mayor’s return.
One audience member clapped when the mayor finally returned to reconvene the meeting at 10:08pm.
By that point, council had dealt with less than 15 pages of the 170-page agenda package. And it had yet to deal with the delegation originally slated for 8:30pm.
As the meeting progressed, more and more residents left the chamber, including a few “regulars” who faithfully attend most council sessions.
Because of the lengthy closed session, council stretched the meeting beyond the 11pm curfew, ending shortly before midnight.
