The Village of Valemount has adopted a manual to help outline the roles and requirements of Village committees and commissions.
The Committee and Commission Manual is intended to better align with best practices in other communities and with the requirements set out by the Community Charter, Katy Fabris planning intern wrote in a report to Council for their Aug. 13th meeting.
The manual defines the types of committees and commissions permitted by the Community Charter, discusses terms of membership, meeting attendance, rules of procedure, and roles and responsibilities of committee members.
Types of committees include Standing Committees, Select Committees, Statutory Committees, Working Groups and Commissions, all of which have specific functions. All of these meetings are open to the public, though an in camera portion of the meeting (closed to the public) may be held to deal with items that fall in that domain.
Examples of current committees and commissions are the brand new Advisory Planning Commission, the Emergency Planning Committee, the Sign Committee and Tourism Valemount.
The manual outlines the length and number of consecutive terms members can apply for. For instance, the length of term on Standing Committees is two years with a maximum of two consecutive terms unless otherwise specified by council.
The manual also outlines required attendance: a member cannot miss two consecutive meetings without a valid reason, and must attend a minimum of 75 per cent of meetings over a six month period.
Appendices to the manual include information about each type of advisory group, member code of conduct and a form for members to return to the Village that acknowledges they have read and understand the components of the manual and their role on a committee or commission.
The manual notes that committees and commissions may request budget funds from council. They will also be required to develop annual reports and an annual presentation to Council about their work.
