They’re simply going to manage in council chambers with one less person.
A city council by-election will not be held in Chilliwack to fill the vacancy created by the sudden resignation of Coun. Diane Janzen.
Council made the decision in the wake of Janzen’s announcement that she plans to run as MP in the Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon riding in the May federal election.
The remaining councillors voted last week to carry on and finish the term ending in November, with six members instead of seven, including Mayor Sharon Gaetz.
“We’ll be fine,” said acting Mayor Sue Attrill last week. “We know what we’re doing. The workload has definitely gone up, but we’re all pretty into it.”
A byelection to replace Janzen would cost about $40,000, according to city staff estimates.
“That’s a lot of money,” the acting mayor said, adding it’s a cost that could not have been budgeted for given the surprise aspect of the resignation.
Janzen was lauded by Attrill for the big workload that she undertook while a member of city council, and for concluding several projects, including the Chilliwack Health Contact Centre, which obtained its rezoning recently.
Under the Local Government Act a municipal government has the option not to call a byelection if the council vacancy is announced after Jan. 1 of an election year, or if the remaining number of councillors is at least one more than council quorum.
