Last year, Council directed staff to prepare a report outlining options for making meetings more efficient and less time-consuming.
The intent was to streamline decision-making and reduce unnecessary delays during council sessions.
That report was discussed on Tuesday, though the discussion, somewhat ironically, became a drawn-out process.
Over the course of an hour and a half, councillors deliberated on each of the 12 proposed changes outlined by staff.
While a few suggestions were approved without debate, the majority faced significant pushback and were ultimately rejected.
Out of the 12 recommendations, only five received the green light from Council, and even then, two of those were approved with amendments.
In addition to the staff-proposed changes, councillors introduced new ideas for consideration. These included limiting deputations to a one-minute response time for questions following a presentation and disallowing deputations during budget meetings altogether.
Under this proposal, requests related to the budget would instead be addressed at designated times during the budget process. During the discussion, a noteworthy detail emerged when the treasurer was asked about the cost of running a council meeting.
Factoring in staff salaries and benefits, the estimated cost was approximately $1,100 per hour.
However, the treasurer clarified that this figure could fluctuate depending on the staff required, their positions, and other contributing factors. With this calculation in mind, the hour-and-a-half discussion about the report would have cost around $1,650.
Ultimately, Council decided to send all proposed changes, including the new suggestions, back to staff for further refinement.
An updated report will be presented at a future meeting, continuing the effort to strike a balance between efficiency and thorough deliberation.