Halton Region appointments - Committee guidebook

NRU
Dec. 17, 2014
By Leah Wong

Now that York Region’s inaugural council meeting, the last in the GTHA, is over and its regional chair appointed, municipal leaders across the region are officially settling into their roles. With one exception. Newly appointed regional chair Frank Dale has resigned his Mississauga Ward 4 council seat, which remains vacant pending a decision on how to fill the vacancy.

While the Peel chair appointment has left a vacancy and a potential by-election in the works, York Region council, the only other region that continues to appoint a chair, chose to appoint former Whitchurch-Stouff ville mayor Wayne Emmerson. Emmerson did not seek re-election for his mayoral seat in October.

Over the next month NRU will publish the membership of standing committees in the four regions and the municipalities that comprise each region.

Starting with Halton Region, there are three standing committees-health and social services committee, planning and public works committee and administration and finance committee. Each committee meets monthly, is comprised of members from all four local municipalities and regional chair Gary Carr. With the exception of Carr, each member of regional council sits on one standing committee.

The three committees have each held its first meeting of the term, and appointed its chairs and vice-chairs. Oakville councillor Jeff Knoll was appointed chair of health and social services and Milton councillor Mike Cluett vicechair. Oakville councillor Tom Adams was appointed chair of planning and public works and Milton councillor Colin Best vice-chair. Burlington councillor Blair Lancaster was appointed administration and fi nance chair and Halton Hills councillor Clark Somerville vice-chair.

In addition to the regional committees, each local municipality has a number of committees dealing with issues related to the community, planning, economic development and corporate affairs.

In Burlington all councillors and the mayor sit on development and infrastructure committee, community and corporate services committee and committee of the whole. Audit committee is comprised of appointed councillors and members of the public. Committee chairs and vice-chairs will be appointed at the first meeting of each committee.

The Halton Hills’ committees of council have a different structure than those in Burlington. Mayor Rick Bonnette chairs two of the committees-economic development and budget-and sits as an ex-officio member on community affairs and corporate affairs. All members of council sit on budget committee, while select members are appointed to the other three committees.

Councillors Bob Inglis, David Kentner, Bryan Lewis and Clark Somerville sit on economic development committee. Somerville chairs the corporate affairs committee, which comprises councillors Inglis, Moya Johnson, Mike O’Leary and Lewis. Councillor Jane Fogal chairs community affairs committee, which comprises councillors Ted Brown, Jon Hurst, Kentner and Ann Lawlor.

At its meeting Monday Milton council voted to switch to a committee of the whole system, which will replace its standing committees. This change takes effect in January.

Oakville has three standing committees: administrative services, budget and community services. Mayor Rob Burton serves on all three committees. Administrative services and community services committees are appointed for a one year term and do not designate a chair. Budget committee members also serve for a one-year term, though council appoints members for all four periods within its term of office at its first meeting. The budget chair for 2015 will be selected at the committee’s first meeting January 20.

Councillors Cathy Duddeck, Dave Gittings, Max Khan, Jeff Knoll, Roger Lapworth and Sean O’Meara have been appointed to administrative services. Community services committee comprises councillors Tom Adams, Pam Damoff , Alan Elgar, Marc Grant, Nicholas Hutchins and Ralph Robinson. Councillors Tom Adams, Alan Elgar, Pam Damoff and Sean O’Meara will serve on budget committee for the 2015 term.