Staff voting on Working Parties

The following Motion that I submitted was adopted by Council...

NOTICE OF MOTION: ADVISORY COMMITTEE CONSTITUTIONS AND WORKING PARTY OPERATING PROCEDURES

COUNCILLOR: M OSBORNE

MOTION

That Council amend the Constitutions of all Advisory Committees and the Working Party Operating Procedures to ensure that
(i) the voting members of the committees and working parties do not include staff
(ii) the Coordinator (“chair”) of the Working Party be a Councillor

BACKGROUND

Council staff are technical, qualified people and their role is to advise the elected body.

As the former Acting General Manager recently said in a Laman St Working Party meeting it is an inappropriate governance model where the people giving the advice are then asked to vote on that advice and to possibly vote against councillors and/or the community.

The role of council staff (as public servants) is to provide “advice” on relevant policy matters, and then to “implement” policy decisions, not to “make” such policy decisions.

It is inappropriate for staff to be put in the role of “making” policy decisions.