Title
Establish Dates for Governance and Priorities Committee Meetings
Proposed Motion
1. That Governance and Priorities Committee meetings be scheduled to commence at 9:00 a.m. at Parkland County Centre, Council Chambers, on the following dates:
- January 19, 2027
- February 2, 2027
- February 16, 2027
- March 2, 2027
- April 6, 2027
- April 20, 2027
- May 4, 2027
- May 18, 2027
- June 1, 2027
- June 15, 2027
- July 6, 2027
- July 20, 2027
- September 7, 2027
- September 21, 2027
- October 5, 2027
- October 19, 2027
2. That a Governance and Priorities Committee meeting be scheduled to commence at 10:00 a.m., or immediately following the 9:00 a.m. Council meeting, at Parkland County Centre, Council Chambers, on December 1, 2026.
Body
Administration Recommendation
Administration recommends that Council schedule the Governance and Priorities Committee meetings as presented. While a number of Governance and Priorities Committee meetings have been cancelled in recent years, Administration continues to recommend maintaining the current schedule. Scheduling meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month provides flexibility to accommodate emerging governance matters, strategic discussions, policy development, and time-sensitive reports throughout the year. Meetings that are not required can continue to be cancelled when there are insufficient agenda items.
Purpose
To establish the dates for the Governance and Priorities Committee meetings for the next twelve months.
Summary
The Governance and Priorities Committee is guided by a Terms of Reference that was last reviewed and revised on November 30, 2021. The Terms of Reference, included as Attachment #1, state that Governance and Priorities Committee meetings are to be held on the first and third Tuesday of each month.
Each year at the Organizational meeting Council establishes the dates for the Governance and Priorities Committee meetings between now and the next organizational meeting. The meeting dates selected have been determined by setting Governance and Priorities meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month and then removing meetings that fall on the same date that is affected by the winter break, summer break, statutory holidays and conferences that all of Council attends. The meeting dates established will be posted on Parkland County's website and communicated throughout the year through social media and the County's Your Parkland publication.
The December 1, 2026 Governance and Priorities Committee meeting must be scheduled for 10:00 a.m., or immediately following the budget approval meeting scheduled for December 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.
Historical Information:
Governance and Priorities Committee meetings have historically been scheduled on the first and third Tuesday of each month, except where these dates are affected by winter break, summer break, statutory holidays or conferences that all of Council attends. When Governance and Priorities Committee meetings are cancelled, Administration moves agenda items that are on that meeting agenda to future meeting dates. A summary of the meeting frequency and duration for Governance and Priorities Committee meetings between 2023-2026 is provided below.
|
Year |
Scheduled Meetings |
Meetings Held |
Average Length |
|
2023 |
17 |
16 |
2.5 hours |
|
2024 |
17 |
13 |
2.5 hours |
|
2025 |
17 |
13 |
2.0 hours |
|
2026 |
17 |
11 |
4.0 hours |
Options:
Option #1 - Council can approve the dates for Governance and Priorities Committee meetings to occur twice per month as presented, for a total of 17 meetings.
This option maintains the status quo. In 2026, Governance and Priorities Committee meetings were used regularly to consider governance matters, policy issues, strategic initiatives, and reports requiring Committee review and discussion. As noted above, 6 meetings were cancelled in 2026, however the meetings were cancelled so that Council could attend meetings and conferences and not due to a lack of items scheduled to come before the Committee.
Option #2 - Council may choose to make amendments to the dates, such as reduce the frequency of the Governance and Priorities Committee meetings to once per month. To implement a change Council will need to, by resolution, provide Administration with direction to implement Governance and Priorities Committee meetings at the desired frequency. Council may wish to consider identifying a specific day and week that the meeting is to be scheduled on. For example, the third Tuesday of each month. Administration will then draft a new bylaw, update the Terms of Reference for the Governance and Priorities Committee, and present the bylaw to Council for consideration. With this option, Administration recommends that Council pass the second resolution to set Governance and Priorities Committee meetings on December 1, 2026 starting at 10:00 a.m., or immediately following the Council meeting, to be held at Parkland County Centre, Council Chambers. This resolution will serve to establish Governance and Priorities meeting dates to provide administration an opportunity to introduce the draft bylaw and bring forward other matters for information.
Strategic Plan/Policy/Legal/Staff Implications:
An approved annual calendar provides a predictable schedule for Governance and Priorities Committee meetings, allowing for effective planning by Council, Administration, residents, business owners, and other interested parties.
Financial Impact:
Cost:
Source of Funding:
Other: None.