Rethinking the “Next Meeting” Rule: Why We Need More Time for Fair Decisions
By Trudy Klassen | May 21, 2025
Since joining Council, I have learned that the rules themselves can get in the way of thoughtful decision-making. As I write in “Think the Majority Rules?” this is especially the case when it comes to municipal governance.
The Problem With “Next Meeting”
Right now, section 151 of the Community Charter says that if the mayor suspends a municipal officer or employee, that suspension must be reported to Council at its next meeting. At that meeting, Council is required to make a crucial decision: reinstate, confirm, extend, or dismiss the officer or employee.
On paper, this is efficient. However, when considering whether to terminate a staff member, efficiency is NOT the term that should describe these considerations. Council meetings are packed with agenda items, and it’s not uncommon for members to receive complex reports or sensitive information with little time to digest it all. Expecting Council to make such a significant decision at the very next meeting, sometimes just days away, puts everyone in a difficult position.
Why “By the Third Meeting” Makes Sense
Changing the requirement to “by the third meeting” would give Councils up to two extra meetings to review the facts, seek legal advice, and, most importantly, ensure that everyone involved is treated fairly.
Let’s make sure we’re not forced to rush through decisions that can have major impacts on people’s lives and the city’s future.
We owe it to both our staff and our residents to get these decisions right. A little breathing room means a more thoughtful, transparent process, and that’s what builds trust in local government.
Time for a Practical Change
I believe all BC municipalities deserves a Council that’s empowered to make careful, informed choices and not be hamstrung by unrealistic timelines. That’s why I’m working for a change to the Community Charter: let’s give Councils until the third meeting to decide on suspensions. It’s a small tweak that would make a big difference in how we serve our communities.
If we want good governance, we need good rules. It’s time to make this one better.
Think Majority Council Rules? Think Again
By Trudy Klassen May 21, 2025
Early in my term on Council, I found myself pleased that Council was well-aligned on most issues. We hammered out a fresh Strategic Plan a few months after the election. I was hopeful that we would be headed in a growth and community-well-being focused direction.
However, I was soon frustrated by the lack of progress on a few different issues highlighted by voters during the campaign, despite majority or all of Council bring in favour. A friend suggested a TV Series, “Yes, Minister.” That felt much too close to reality.
I decided I needed to take more time to judge the situation properly. Now, precisely 2 and a half years in, I can no longer simply blame my ignorance. There is a problem, or at least a big part of it, and it’s not me.
It’s the very structure of the Community Charter. The Community Charter 152(2) states that in order to terminate a municipal officer (corporate officer, financial officer, and the CAO,) a two-thirds majority of Council is needed. This creates an imbalance that throws most of the power into the hands of four members of Council and the unelected municipal officers
How so?
We have nine members of Council. One Mayor, eight Councillors. All with one vote each. A two-thirds majority is six members. This means that just four members of Council can block the will of the majority, even if five or more members believe a change is necessary.
This imbalance creates the wrong incentives, not only for municipal officers, but also for members of Council. Rather than working together on the difficult issues voters are concerned about, the incentive structure makes it hard to ignore that only four members of Council need to vote for the status quo to remain.
The status quo is comfortable. I get it.
But Prince George voters deserve to have the Council they elected be the ones making the decisions. A simple majority of five, rather than the minority of four. Sort of like how a democracy is supposed to work, right?
That’s why Councillor Skakun and I have submitted a Notice of Motion for next Monday’s agenda, asking Council to support a UBCM resolution urging the province to fix this.
Because if you thought majority rules on Council, think again.
Cameron and Terresa Stolz recently bought our local paper-of-record #ThePrinceGeorgeCitizen . I wish them every success!! The role of investigative journalism is incredibly important and I hope their buisness acumen will bring them success in bringing more accountability to our city.
#6 Accountability in governance. It seems it’s an uphill battle. I ran for office because I was willing to work on improving accountability. Haven’t really had success so far.
Politicians are elected to set policy and management is to establish administrative procedures to action those policies……….is that laughter I hear? I will keep trying.
What’s up and coming at the City of PG posted here!
#5 Sadly, the Mayor’s report didn’t get passed. Six out of 9 members of Council voted against it, which basically means we have six Councillors in favour of our staff determining who gets to see what. What a blow to democracy, transparency and accountability.
The City public notice board was touted as one way for people to know what’s what. Here is a pic of said board:
#4 please write in to Mayor and Council Email Council or attend the meeting on Wednesday to show support for #MayorSimonYu's recommended ammendment to our public notices bylaw.Council Agenda August 16, 2023
#3 Opportunity to let our Communications staff know how they are doing! This is not a Council survey, just so you know! Comms Survey
#2 Let the Tourism PG know where you think the Tourism PG office should go by participating in the survey:
#1 Today, July 26, 2023, at noon, at City Hall, we have the Fees and Charges discussion for Finance and Audit. Public is welcome to attend. If you have questions, send them to Trudy by using the contact button or to her city email address.
