Post by What a Waste of you money on Mar 22, 2007 20:07:00 GMT -3
City council plans to get out more; 12 meetings to be held throughout the city
Denis St. Pierre
Local News - Thursday, March 22, 2007 @ 12:00
Greater Sudbury city council will hold a regular meeting in Onaping Falls next month, marking the first time council meets outside the confines of city hall since municipal amalgamation took effect six years ago.
Council has approved a schedule that will see 12 meetings held in outlying communities over the next 18 months. The new meeting schedule responds to the Constellation City report, submitted in January by a citizens committee charged with addressing alienation and dissatisfaction with the amalgamated city.
The Constellation report suggested city council "should not be tied to its own chamber for every meeting. It is important that all councillors and staff travel across the city on a regular basis and engage the community."
As a result, the report recommended council "hold at least six meetings per year in communities outside the city core.
"
The schedule approved by city council on Wednesday will see the first meeting for outlying communities held April 18 at the Onaping Falls Community Centre, in Onaping. Meetings have been scheduled in five other communities in May, June, September, October and November.
A similar meeting schedule has been adopted for 2008.
Holding 12 meetings in outlying communities will cost about $14,000, council was advised in a report from city staff. Much of the cost - more than $10,000 - will be for rental of a sound system needed for council meetings.
Council also was advised that, unlike regular meetings held at Tom Davies Square, meetings in outlying communities will not be televised live on the community cable channel.
"Meeting coverage will need to be aired the following evening as equipment required to transmit live video feeds does not exist at the satellite meeting locations," the city staff report states.
The recorded meetings also will be of lesser quality than the televised meetings from city hall, because the community cable channel will only be able to provide single-camera coverage, the report adds.
"From a viewership perspective, this severely limits camera angles which will cause an unfair visual treatment between meeting participates," it states.
"The quality level of the visual presentation will be reduced."
Funding for the meetings in outlying communities will come from a $125,000 allocation council approved in this year's budget to pay for implementing some of the recommendations of the Constellation report.
Denis St. Pierre
Local News - Thursday, March 22, 2007 @ 12:00
Greater Sudbury city council will hold a regular meeting in Onaping Falls next month, marking the first time council meets outside the confines of city hall since municipal amalgamation took effect six years ago.
Council has approved a schedule that will see 12 meetings held in outlying communities over the next 18 months. The new meeting schedule responds to the Constellation City report, submitted in January by a citizens committee charged with addressing alienation and dissatisfaction with the amalgamated city.
The Constellation report suggested city council "should not be tied to its own chamber for every meeting. It is important that all councillors and staff travel across the city on a regular basis and engage the community."
As a result, the report recommended council "hold at least six meetings per year in communities outside the city core.
"
The schedule approved by city council on Wednesday will see the first meeting for outlying communities held April 18 at the Onaping Falls Community Centre, in Onaping. Meetings have been scheduled in five other communities in May, June, September, October and November.
A similar meeting schedule has been adopted for 2008.
Holding 12 meetings in outlying communities will cost about $14,000, council was advised in a report from city staff. Much of the cost - more than $10,000 - will be for rental of a sound system needed for council meetings.
Council also was advised that, unlike regular meetings held at Tom Davies Square, meetings in outlying communities will not be televised live on the community cable channel.
"Meeting coverage will need to be aired the following evening as equipment required to transmit live video feeds does not exist at the satellite meeting locations," the city staff report states.
The recorded meetings also will be of lesser quality than the televised meetings from city hall, because the community cable channel will only be able to provide single-camera coverage, the report adds.
"From a viewership perspective, this severely limits camera angles which will cause an unfair visual treatment between meeting participates," it states.
"The quality level of the visual presentation will be reduced."
Funding for the meetings in outlying communities will come from a $125,000 allocation council approved in this year's budget to pay for implementing some of the recommendations of the Constellation report.
