Proposed early start times for London, Ont. committees bring positives, negatives: expert
Global News
Earlier this week, the governance working group unanimously agreed to a draft schedule for next year that will see standing committee meetings begin earlier in the day than now.
London, Ont., city councillors are set to make a change that some hope will finally make being a councillor a full-time job.
Earlier this week, the governance working group unanimously agreed to a draft schedule for next year that will see standing committee meetings begin much earlier in the day than now.
The new schedule will see the civic works committee meetings begin at 9:30 a.m. and the rest of the standing committees and council get underway at 1 p.m. That moves the start times up from a split of 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Deputy mayor Shawn Lewis, who initiated the change, says he thinks the earlier start times should have been in place years ago.
“This should make councillors put their primary focus on being a councillor,” said Lewis. “This shouldn’t be a side gig off the edge of your desk at another job or something where you rip open the envelope and start looking through your agenda as you show up for a meeting.”
The second-term councillor says one of the big benefits is simply not having meetings run until close to midnight. Lewis referenced that if the most recent council meeting had started at 4 p.m. — like council meetings did up until this year — it would not have been until midnight when it wrapped up.
“Nobody is making good decisions 9:30, 10 o’clock, 11 at night,” says Lewis, adding most councillors begin their work by 9 a.m., meaning there are days where work extends past 12 hours.
Another benefit of moving the meeting times up is it will save the taxpayers money, says Lewis. While councillors and some senior staff are paid an annual salary, many other employees, like IT support, clerk staff and security, who must stay at city hall during meetings, are hourly.