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CEA in the News |
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Windsor to dismantle, reassess citizen advisory committees Taylor Campbell, WIndsor Star / June 14, 2023 Windsor is disbanding and rethinking the local committees filled by appointed citizens and used traditionally to advise city council on everything from planning, housing and cycling matters to seniors, transit and the environment. The decision, made at Monday’s regular council meeting, follows a months-long review by administration that put meetings on hold and left civilian members unable to contribute. Council voted unanimously this week to restructure the specialized citizen groups that help inform decisions at city hall, and to evaluate which groups it should reform or create based on Windsor’s current needs. The decision comes after the city’s first advisory committee performance review since 2011. Most of the 11 existing committees have not met since last year, and new citizen members for the 2022-26 term have not been appointed. Frank Butler, president of the Citizens Environmental Alliance, told council the review’s timing “puts a significant hole in the work of committees.” Butler has served on a number of committees over the last 35 years and was most recently a member of the stormwater financing working group. He acknowledged the review’s findings that many existing committees met infrequently over the last two terms of council, an issue for which he blamed the COVID-19 pandemic and the busy schedules of councillors who chair advisory committees. “This lack of meetings stifled input and significantly impacted our volunteer members’ ability to participate, deliberate, create reports, or trust in the system,” Butler said. He proposed that committees appoint alternate or vice-chairs to ensure meetings are held regardless of the chair’s schedule. He also suggested advisory committees prepare reports every four months, rather than twice a year, to keep communication between various committee levels “timely.” The advisory committee review report by the city clerk’s office recommended that all committees disband at the end of each council term, which council agreed to on Monday. The review found that other municipalities had modernized their advisory committees, making them more goal-oriented and relevant to municipal needs. London’s city council moved from 14 advisory committees down to nine in 2022. In 2015, the City of St. Johns, N.L., began to differentiate its committees into task forces, working groups, expert panels and advisory committees — each fulfilling different roles. As a result of Windsor council’s decision, city advisory committees will be restructured in a way similar to those in St. John’s. With many voicing dissatisfaction with the current advisory committee system, where some committees seem to operate without explicit purpose, councillors enthusiastically supported the idea. “I found over a four-year period, sometimes there is a lack of focus,” said Ward 10 Coun. Jim Morrison. “Sometimes there is an issue that is very time-limited and therefore a task force or a working group could be much more effective and be very much focused on that issue.” Morrison asked that, during the committee recruitment process, staff ensure applicants understand exactly what they’re applying for. “I think back on people that are applying for every committee,” he said. “They just want to get on some committee, and we end up with people that have really no interest in the committee.” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said he’s heard from citizen members of advisory committees who felt their attendance at meetings did not make a difference. He wants to make sure appointees are given “meaningful work” and able to share their feedback. “I want to make sure that if we’re going through the process and setting up committees and appointing people, that we give them meaningful work, that we want to hear their feedback.” “Will every committee that we have be re-established? I don’t know. We’ll go through that process and figure it out. “But I think it’s fair to say that we value all of the committees and the people who have served on those committees.” Dilkens took Morrison’s suggestion, that the city ensure applicants understand what they’re applying for, one step further. The mayor suggested the city could interview applicants “to make sure that we understand what their motivation is and what their experience is.” “In the past, we’ve had committees that have entirely weaponized themselves against the city, and they’ve become little political organizations that we have set up, and that’s not great either,” Dilkens said. City clerk Steve Vlachodimos said his office will bring another report to council in July with proposed dates for a striking committee meeting, during which council would decide what advisory committees it wants to move forward with. Following that meeting, administration will undertake a three-week recruitment process, endeavouring to reach potential applicants using digital marketing, print ads, traditional media coverage, and an accessible application webpage — the same methods it used to recruit for other city agencies, boards, and committees earlier this year. “You could have the committees up and running in August or September, perhaps,” Vlachodimos said. While city procedural bylaw allows advisory committees to meet up to four times each year, Vlachodimos said any meetings missed this year would be credited and scheduled for 2024. The city’s current advisory committees include the community public art committee, diversity advisory committee, housing and homelessness advisory committee, seniors advisory committee, town and gown committee, Transit Windsor advisory committee, Windsor Business Improvement Association area advisory committee, Windsor Essex County environment committee and Windsor bicycling committee. © Copyright (c) Windsor Star |