There is a difference of opinion in Lake Country over whether councillors should be allowed to attend public information sessions held by developers or lobbyists.
At the April 1 council meeting, Coun. Cara Reed proposed removing a section of the district乌鸦传媒檚 policy that currently advises councillors not to attend such sessions.
乌鸦传媒淔or me, this is about setting boundaries,乌鸦传媒� Reed said. 乌鸦传媒淚nstead of a blanket prohibition, guidelines could be established for attendance.乌鸦传媒�
She argued that letting councillors participate in these meetings would actually make decision-making more transparent.
乌鸦传媒淚t demonstrates to the public that council members are open to understanding various perspectives,乌鸦传媒� she added.
Reed believes councillors need to gather information from multiple sources, and attending these sessions would give them firsthand knowledge of proposals, community concerns, and developers乌鸦传媒� intentions. She added that councillors should avoid discussions that could create conflicts of interest or perceived bias.
乌鸦传媒淭his approach allows for participation while maintaining ethical standards,乌鸦传媒� she said.
Coun. Michael Lewis pushed back, saying public sessions should be for residents, not council.
乌鸦传媒淗aving a councillor there, I think, disrupts that process, basically because the developer is probably going to focus on the councillor who is there,乌鸦传媒� he said.
Mayor Blair Ireland was also against the change, arguing that attending these meetings could actually make things less transparent.
乌鸦传媒淏ecause you乌鸦传媒檝e gone and been influenced in a group of people without all of the facts,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e seen a couple of the development meetings that don乌鸦传媒檛 even present what the actual project has become.乌鸦传媒�
He also warned against private one-on-one meetings with developers or lobbyists, adding he takes members of the district乌鸦传媒檚 development team when attending such meetings.
乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 for my protection, and everybody乌鸦传媒檚 protection, because when you乌鸦传媒檙e meeting one-on-one, it乌鸦传媒檚 a lack of transparency.乌鸦传媒�
Coun. Heather Irvine supported Reed乌鸦传媒檚 motion, stating she乌鸦传媒檚 attended a public info session before and doesn乌鸦传媒檛 see the harm.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 no different than meeting a developer for coffee,乌鸦传媒� she argued. 乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 explaining to us before it comes to council. We owe it to our people乌鸦传媒攚e乌鸦传媒檙e their voice. To speak their words, we have to listen. We have to partake in these events.乌鸦传媒�
With Coun. Tricia Brett out of the country, council voted to defer the motion until she returns so all councillors can weigh in. Staff will also research how other municipalities handle developer interactions to help council guide its decision.
