How Does City Council Work?
Many people tell me that they don't really know how the City's decision making process works or how to provide input on issues that matter to them. While different issues follow different processes to get to City Council and there is not necessarily a set formula there are a few things that can be helpful to know.
1. The City Clerk's Office is responsible for keeping meetings, information, and elections organized and accountable. If you ever have questions about how or when a specific issue is being dealt with at City Hall you can contact them at 975-3240. They also have a good FAQ page about interacting with City Council.
2. City Council meetings are the public decision making meetings which generally occur every second Monday (except during the summer) in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. Any member of the public can attend these meetings, and any member can come to speak to Council for 5 minutes on any topic, if they notify the City Clerk's office ahead of time. Agendas and minutes of meetings are available on-line for anyone to read.
3. On the Mondays when City Council is not meeting, there is generally an Executive Committee meeting. Executive Committee is made up of all of the Councillors and the Mayor, and serves as a more informal setting to discuss issues of concern. At Executive Committee there is generally a public portion of the meeting that anyone can attend, and in-camera portion of the meeting that is not open to the public.
4. Many issues are discussed at Standing Committees and Advisory Committees of City Council before they arrive at City Council for a decision. In addition to the Executive Committee, the standing committees of City Council are Planning and Operations, Administration and Finance, Land Bank, and Audit. Each of these committees is made up of 5 Councillors plus the Mayor. Advisory Committees are made up of appointed citizens, Councillors, and city staff and they focus on specific issues of importance such as Heritage, Race Relations, the Environment, or Animal Control.
5. Most standing and advisory committee meetings are open to the public. If an issue is being discussed at a standing committee meeting that you have concerns about, you can request to speak and have your voice heard during the debate. To find out if an issue is being discussed by any committee, it is best to contact the City Clerk's office.
6. City Council also holds public hearings on particular issues such as zoning changes, road closures, public borrowing, or particular developments that are subject to "discretionary use." These hearings occur during City Council meetings, and any member of the public can address Council to have their voice heard.
Most importantly, there are often several points along the way for the public to voice their concerns or ideas through thse processes, but sometimes it takes a bit of work to figure out how to do it.
- Calling your City Councillor
- emailing your City Councillor at firstname.lastname@saskatoon.ca
- Writing a letter to City Council (can be done online)
- Coming and speaking to City Council directly at a City Council meeting or at a Standing Committee meeting if there is a specifi item you want to address
For more information about how you can get involved in issues that you are concerned about please contact Charlie at charlie.clark@saskatoon.ca, or you can contact the City Clerk’s office at 975-3240