Committees charged with providing council with input have undergone several changes.
Mayor Richard Atwelll announced the changes last month during his annual address during which he mostly focused on institutions rather reviewing past accomplishment or announcing new initiatives.
“Our committees provide for a valuable community connection and I wanted to raise awareness of them,” he said. “I will return to the format of my previous 2016 address in 2018 and focus on the accomplishments of the council term to date.”
Perhaps the most significant development announced last month was the division of Saanich’s finance, audit and personnel standing committee into two separate standing committees: the finance standing committee advising council on finance and purchasing and the personnel standing committee advising council on personnel items.
“Both of these committees will make recommendations to council in order to plan and better position the municipality for the future in addition to providing the transparency, accountability and oversight that residents expect and deserve,” Atwell said.
While standing committees represent one of three committee types, they are perhaps the most important by virtue of their composition – council members make up at least of the membership – and their uniqueness. In fact, prior to the change announced last month, Saanich had only one standing committee: the finance, audit and personnel committee, now split into its two components. Note also their respective and undeniably sensitive subjects: finance, purchasing and personnel. In short, these committees deal with the very machinery of municipal government.
“Ultimately, we are a service organization that focuses on providing for our residents,” said Atwell.
Coun. Fred Haynes will chair the personnel standing committee and Coun. Vicki Sanders will chair the finance standing committee.
Atwell also announced last month the creation of the standing accessibility committee whose mandate will be to advise council on disability and barrier issues facing residents and visitors.
“I believe that societies are judged by the level of inclusion and attention paid to the needs of persons challenged by physical and mental difficulties and we at Saanich will endeavour to understand and support their needs,” he said.
The district expects to announce the committee’s terms of references and chair at a later date.
Announced changes in Saanich’s committee structure also sees several councillors change roles.
Coun. Judy Brownoff replaces Haynes as chair of the planning, transportation and economic development advisory committee. Coun. Leif Wergeland replaces Coun. Dean Murdock as chair of the environmental and natural areas advisory committee. Brice replaces Coun. Vicki Sanders as chair of the arts, culture and heritage advisory committee. Murdock replaces Brice as chair of the parks, trails and recreation advisory committee.
Atwell made these changes following an “informal process” based on the “conveyed interest and performance” of councillors as advisory committee chairs.
Atwell said he had shared his plans for this “deep shuffle” of council appointments about a year ago.
“Some council members indicated their preference but many did not and this was expected given the tenure of some councillors who have chaired many of the committees many times,” he said.
“Appointing all eight councillors to a committee was also made possible by splitting the old (finance, audit and personnel standing) committee into two and stepping back as chair, which I needed to take on in the beginning,” he said.
Atwelll remains chair of the public safety and emergency planning committee, as well as the Saanich Police Board.
