Organizational Meeting Highlights - October 24, 2017

An annual Organizational Meeting of Council is a statutory requirement pursuant to Section 192(1) of the Municipal Government Act .

The purpose of the Annual Organizational Meeting of Council is to review and approve:

a) Council meeting time and dates for Regular Council and Standing Committee meetings;

b) Deputy Mayor Terms;

c) Council representation on various boards and committees;

d) 2018 Organizational Meeting; and

e) To conduct other business as may be necessary

Swearing-In

As this was the first Organizational Meeting of Council 2017-2021, the meeting began with each Councillor being sworn in. Following Swearing-in, each Councillor signed the Code of Conduct (more information below).

Councillor Trevor Haas was not in attendance and will be sworn in at a later date.

Thank you to Tim McClelland of Hinton Law Group for assisting with the Swearing-in Ceremony.

Code of Conduct

It is imperative that councillors remember that they were elected by the public in order to serve a public purpose.

Councillors must therefore act in the public interest, and put the public’s interests ahead of their own personal interests, or the interests of other private individuals or groups. It is also extremely important that elected officials understand that the public must have confidence in the integrity of its public institutions and government, and the ethical conduct of their local government officials.

Accordingly, it is the purpose of this Code of Conduct to set out certain ethical guidelines which are in addition to any statutory or other legal requirements imposed upon elected officials. In the event of any conflict, any law or legal requirement shall have priority over these guidelines.

View the Code of Conduct here.

All present Councillors and Mayor Michaels signed the Code of Conduct.

Councillor Haas will be offered the opportunity to sign following his swearing in.

Action Items

1. Council meeting time and dates for Regular Council and Standing Committee meetings

Council Procedure Bylaw #1060-5 establishes that Regular Meetings of Council are to be held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month beginning at 4:00 p.m. in Council Chambers and that Standing Committee meetings are to be held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the Committee Room.

There is a desire to change the times of the Regular Council and Standing Committee meetings from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. As per section 5 of Bylaw #1060-5, Council may change the meeting time for Regular Council meetings and Standing Committee meetings by resolution.

It was moved that Council adopts the 2017-2018 Meetings of Council as presented in Attachment #1 of the Agenda (view it here). This motion passed; It was then moved that Council change the meeting time for Regular Council meetings and Standing Committee meetings from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., effective November 7, 2017 until December 31, 2017. This motion also passed.

2. Deputy Mayor Terms
A draft of the 2017-2021 Deputy Mayor Terms has been prepared for Council’s review and approval (view in agenda).

It was moved that Council adopts the 2017-2021 Deputy Mayor Terms as presented in Attachment #2 (view in agenda); this motion passed.

3. Council Representation on Boards and Committees
Members of Council represent the Town of Hinton on various boards and committees. The Mayor has issued recommendations for representation on boards and committees.

911 Call Centre Management Committee: Trevor Haas | Alternate: Tyler Waugh
CAO Performance Review Committee: Marcel Michaels, Ryan Maguhn, Albert Ostashek | Alternate: Trevor Haas
Community Engagement & Advisory Committee (CEAC): Tyler Waugh | Alternate: Albert Ostashek
Community Futures West Yellowhead: Tyler Waugh, Dewly Nelson | Alternate: Marcel Michaels
Disaster Services Committee: Dewly Nelson, JoAnn Race, Trevor Haas | Alternate: Ryan Maguhn
Evergreen Foundation Board: Marcel Michaels | Alternate: Dewly Nelson
Forest Resources Advisory Group: Marcel Michaels | Alternate: Albert Ostashek
Hinton Golfing Society: Ryan Maguhn | Alternate: Tyler Waugh
Hinton Historical Society: JoAnn Race | Alternate: Ryan Maguhn
Hinton Municipal Library Board: Tyler Waugh, Trevor Haas | Alternate: Albert Ostashek
Hinton Regional Economic Development Coalition: Albert Ostashek | Alternate: Marcel Michaels
Home for Fine Arts Society of Hinton (ASH): JoAnn Race | Alternate: Trevor Haas
Inter-Municipal Committee (Yellowhead County): Under Review
Mary Reimer Park Society: Ryan Maguhn | Alternate: JoAnn Race
Nominations Review Committee: Under Review
West Fraser Pulpmill Advisory Committee: Marcel Michaels | Alternate: Dewly Nelson
West Yellowhead Regional Waste Management: Dewly Nelson, Albert Ostashek | Alternate: JoAnn Race

It was moved that Council approves the 2017-2018 Council Representation on Boards and Committees as presented in Attachment #3 (view in agenda package here for more information on board duties). This motion passed.

4. 2018 Organizational Meeting

The Municipal Government Act states that a municipality must hold an organizational meeting every year not later than 2 weeks after the 3rd Monday in October. It was moved that the 2018 Organizational Meeting of Council be held on Tuesday, October 23, 2018. This motion passed

The actual motion passed during the meeting mistakenly read October 24, 2018. The intent was to hold the organizational meeting on the 3rd Tuesday of 2018, in accordance with the meeting schedule passed earlier in the meeting. For clarity, the correct date is included above.

Town of Hinton Newsflash

Can you help?
We need your assistance in making our workplace better for employees who grapple with scent sensitivity. All it takes is the decision to forgo cologne or perfume and choosing scent free grooming products when you come to visit the Government Centre. This simple change can help staff members avoid symptoms that can range from sniffles to difficulty breathing. Thanks for doing your part!

myHinton App Updated!
The myHinton app has recently been updated! You can now find information for Hinton Victim Services, CEAC, the coming Municipal Election, and more, all by downloading the app to your device by using the following links:

Download the app from the Apple App Store by clicking this link

Download the app from the Google Play Store by clicking this link

Citizen Budget Tool

In January of this year the Town of Hinton was proud to release into the public, for the first time, an interactive budget engagement tool. The tool offered any Hintonite the opportunity to see a visual representation of where their tax dollars go, and a new way to share their feedback on how they’d like their taxes spent.

This input helped Council make their budget decisions in Budget 2017, and provided insight to administration.

Now, we’re relaunching the tool, kicking off in September rather than January. This new kickoff time offers more opportunities to use your feedback in a tangible way; instead of receiving your input after the budget is largely complete, your input will be received during the early budget planning stages for both admin and council decisions.

Get involved; try out the citizen engagement budget tool yourself by clicking here.

You can view the entire agenda package here.

The first Council meeting will be held in Council Chambers on
November 7, 2017, at 5pm.