North Huron Council votes to remove public comment from meetings
BY SCOTT STEPHENSON
On Monday, North Huron Council voted to eliminate the public comment section at meetings from its procedural bylaw. The decision came about following a staff report requested by Reeve Paul Heffer, who had recently expressed interest in learning how other municipalities manage their input from the public.
Clerk Carson Lamb’s report compiled a chart that considered the public comment policies of 66 municipalities from Huron, Bruce, Perth, Lambton, Middlesex and Wellington Counties. The report states that 50 of those 66 municipalities do not allow any public comment at open council meetings.
In Huron County specifically, only North Huron, Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Goderich and Central Huron include an opportunity for in-person public input at their meetings.
The staff report cited several alternative ways for the public to engage with municipal councils, such as forming a delegation, speaking directly with councillors or submitting a letter, either digitally or physically. North Huron currently offers these options.
During discussion of the issue, Heffer explained that he had brought it up in the hopes that North Huron’s meetings could be improved, and spoke in favour of allowing the public to express their opinions through formal delegations and letter writing. “I just feel this would be a better allotment of time for us,” he explained.
Council is allowed to engage in dialogue with a delegation, whereas they are not obligated to respond to public comment.
Councillor Mitch Wright pointed out that the agenda comes out on Friday, and the meetings are on Monday, which means there would be no time for people to engage with the delegation process. In regards to the public comment section, he said “I think that’s why it’s there - it’s the only option people have to talk about something on the agenda in time... we’re just taking away an opportunity for public input.”
Deputy-Reeve Kevin Falconer, who was acting chair of the meeting while Heffer was making his argument, pointed out that the public comment section has sometimes been abused by those coming to speak. He also favours delegations.
Councillor Chris Palmer asked if the delegation request procedure would be changed if public comment was eliminated. Lamb explained that the delegation process allows anybody looking to speak on a subject relevant to the municipality to be granted a maximum of 10 minutes to engage with council on an approved topic. The final decision as to which delegations will be accepted to speak in front of council and when they will do so is made at the discretion of the Clerk.
A motion to eliminate public comment at North Huron meetings passed four votes to two, with Wright and Councillor Lonnie Whitfield voting against.