...Title
Bylaw 2026-07 - Meeting Procedures Bylaw
Proposed Motions
1. That Bylaw 2026-07 receive first reading.
2. That Council directs administration to present Bylaw 2026-07 - Meeting Procedures Bylaw at the March 24, 2026 meeting of Council for second and third reading.
Body
Administration Recommendation
That Bylaw 2026-07 receive first reading and that Council put forward any amending motions.
Purpose
To present Bylaw 2026-07 - Meeting Procedures Bylaw to Council for first reading.
Summary
The feedback received from Council on February 17, 2026 was focused on the following areas:
1. Clarity
2. Consistency
3. Agenda Management
4. Legislative Compliance
Administration conducted a review of the comments provided by Council on the draft Bylaw 2026-07 focused in these areas. The following revisions have been made and appear in the bylaw for first reading.
1. Clarity
Section 15: Clarified to state: “The CAO shall prescribe the administrative format and structure of Agendas.” This reinforces that the CAO’s responsibility is administrative in nature.
Sections 16-20: Reorganized to follow a chronological sequence. Former Section 18 is now Section 16, with remaining sections renumbered.
Section 17: Revised to: “Agendas shall be approved by the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor prior to publication and distribution.” This clarifies Council’s role in agenda approval and formalizes Parkland County’s practices.
Section 39: Revised to: “The Mayor, or the Deputy Mayor, shall chair all public hearings.” This provides immediate clarity on the Chair in the Mayor’s absence and supports clear public communication.
Definitions have also been added for “Public Input” and "Delegation" to build clarity around the different types of presentations to Council.
2. Consistency - Speaking Times and Delegations
Public Input
The draft Bylaw 2026-07 Section 32 states that each speaker has "5 minutes to present to Council, unless there is consent from Council to extend this time limit”, compared to the wording in Bylaw 2015-06 Section 36 that states “presentations during public input sessions shall be limited to an aggregate total of 10 minutes, unless there is consent from Council to extend the allotted time”.
Delegations
Community organizations, boards, commissions and businesses, whose requests to present to Council have been approved, are contacted by Legislative & Legal Services to schedule appointments for them to attend a meeting to present to Council. These are the presentations that fall under the heading “Delegation”. These presentations to Council are more structured and include speakers attending to speak with the support of a presentation. Often these groups come to present updates on their activities within Parkland County and the region. Bylaw 2026-07, Section 25, provides additional time for these appointments - 10 minutes for presenting with 15 minutes for responding to any questions that Council may have, compared to Bylaw 2015-06 that provides only 10 minutes for presentations and 10 minutes for questions in Section 28.
Public Hearings
Public Hearings are an advertised hearing that Council is required to hold under the Municipal Government Act or another enactment that is open to the public for the purpose of collecting public input through verbal presentations and written submissions before make a final decision on a specific matter.
Council asked for consistency between the references to groups in Section 24 - Delegations, and Section 40(1) b.- Public Hearings. After hearing from Council and reviewing these two terms administration has revised the draft Bylaw 2026-07 to remove Section 24. Administration works with one point of contact to schedule appointments for Delegations and receive agenda materials, therefore we do not feel it necessary to establish a spokesperson. This revision also addresses comments heard that this term may deny Council from receiving important information from a team of experts who attend to present.
As recommended in the feedback received by Council administration has reviewed Section 49 - Motion Procedures, Section 92 - Rules of Debate and Section 93 - Limits to Speaking. Administration was looking for an overlap that would create procedural ambiguity or confusion. After careful consideration we have determined that they are not in conflict with one another. Sections 92 and 93 govern how an agenda item and debate proceed, while Section 48 outlines the specific sequence for putting a motion and taking it to a vote. However, we agree with the suggestion that these sections be combined to provide a single procedure addressing motion and debate procedures. Section 48 now provides a single, unified procedure for motions and debate, and Sections 92 and 93 have been removed.
3. Agenda Management
Agenda Process
Council requested information on the potential impacts of moving agenda publication ahead by one day, to Wednesdays each week. In response, Administration is providing additional context on Parkland County’s weekly agenda process and current schedule. The agenda process is managed by Legislative & Legal Services, which also oversees several other governance-related functions that require significant agenda preparation. These activities are carefully scheduled to accommodate limited staffing resources and aging systems.
Currently, Legislative & Legal Services produces up to three agendas per week. For each agenda, the team completes the following activities:
- Scheduling agenda items
- Providing reminders to staff
- Preparing the draft agenda
- Reviewing agenda items for legislative compliance and completeness
- Managing the agenda item approval sequence
- Publishing the agenda
- Providing parliamentary support during the meeting
- Preparing minutes following the meeting
- Posting the decision summary
If Council agendas were moved to Wednesdays, timelines for these steps would begin to overlap and would need to be revisited, as they rely on the same staff and systems. Administration has explored an earlier publication timeline at a high level. If Council wishes to pursue this option, it is recommended that support staffing and systems for the agenda process be evaluated and enhanced to ensure adequate coverage and coordinated changes across multiple interconnected processes.
Consent Agenda
A Consent Agenda is a tool used to streamline the meeting process. It is used to pull several items on an agenda together where the recommended action is to approve, without discussion, questions, or debate the recommendations in each of the request for decisions referenced in the Consent Agenda request for decision.
Here is a list of the items that Council could consider for placement on a Consent Agenda.
(a) Adoption of minutes
(b) Bylaws scheduled for first reading
(c) Information that was already discussed at a previous Council meeting
(d) Council Committee updates and recommendations
(e) Reports presented for informational purposes only
(f) Proclamations
(g) Minor updates to organizational documents
(h) Rural Municipalities of Alberta updates
(i) Federation of Canadian Municipalities updates
Consent agendas can be a valuable tool for streamlining meetings and ensuring efficient use of time. However, they require a commitment to preparation, transparency, and accountability to be successful. It is critical that Council carefully evaluates what can be included in the consent agenda and ensures that items are genuinely routine in nature. If a Member has a question or concern about an item on the consent agenda, that item must be removed from the consent agenda and discussed thoroughly. If not used properly, consent agendas can lead to reduced transparency and confusion for individuals watching the meeting. When items are approved without public discussion it may give the impression that the County is not fully transparent in its decision making. Alternatively, when a matter is pulled from the consent agenda and placed back on the regular meeting agenda it can create confusion for Council Members and members of the public.
Legislative Compliance
Concern with the wording of the terms under the heading Participation of Members was expressed during the review of the draft bylaw on February 17, 2026. Acknowledging that Council cannot make a bylaw or pass a resolution that addresses the behaviour or conduct of councillors or of members of council committees who are not councillors; sections 95 - 100 have been removed.
The term “abstain” appears in Sections 81(1) and 85(2). Its use is consistent with the Municipal Government Act regarding pecuniary interest.
Option
Council may wish to consider the following motion for Consent Agendas:
That Bylaw 2026-07 be amended to add the following: Under the heading “Definitions” the term “Consent Agenda” means a single agenda item grouping routine matters recommended for approval without discussion, debate or questions.
After the section “Council Meeting Agendas” a section called “Consent Agenda” with the following terms:
1. The following matters are eligible for placement on the Consent Agenda:
(a) Adoption of minutes
(b) Proclamations
(c) Minor updates to organizational documents
(d) Rural Municipalities of Alberta updates
(e) Federation of Canadian Municipalities updates
(f) ...
2. Before the Consent Agenda motion is made, the Chair shall ask if any Member wishes to exempt an item.
3. The Consent Agenda is moved and voted on as one motion.
4. Approval is deemed approval of all referenced recommendations.
5. Items involving a declared pecuniary interest must be removed and addressed separately.
6. Exempted items are debated in agenda order.
7. A motion must be made before any exempted item is debated
Background
Meeting Procedure Bylaws provide structure, ensure fairness, and uphold principles of natural justice. Parkland County follows:
1. The Municipal Government Act
2. Other applicable legislation
3. Parkland County’s Meeting Procedures Bylaw
4. Robert’s Rules of Order (current edition)
History
Bylaw 2015-06 has been in effect since March 3, 2015.
Bylaw 2026-07 was introduced at the Governance and Priorities Committee on February 17, 2026.
Strategic Plan/Policy/Legal/Staff Implications
Financial - No significant impacts are anticipated. Ongoing investment in technology for meeting management software and electronic participation in public hearings will continue.
Financial Impact:
Cost: No Change
Source of Funds: Debt