Administration is advising against approving a motion asking for a ‘councillor report card’.
Councillor Ryan Doyle brought forward a notice of motion for Monday’s meeting asking administrative staff to create a report detailing the number of motions made by councillors and the mayor, how many were successful, the number of motions made during budget discussions, how many of those were successful, and to continue producing these types of reports at the end of each council term. Doyle said the report would provide transparency for voters ahead of the upcoming municipal election.
In administration’s response, Judy Shantz, Director of Municipal Governance, referenced the amount of time it would take staff to complete the report by the September 14 deadline outlined in the motion during election season, noting that much of the requested information is already publicly available.
“Much of the requested information is already publicly available through the municipality’s website, including council agendas, minutes and video,” wrote Shantz.
The Director of Municipal Governance also questioned the value of such a report, writing that “relying on agenda-item pulls, especially items pulled from the consent agenda, may not reflect the significance or outcome of a member’s contributions. There are likely better measures of council’s success than counting motions or agenda pulls in isolation.”
Administration also noted that if future councils wish to pursue a councillor performance report, more meaningful measures should be considered than simply counting motions. The report suggests metrics tied to council’s strategic directions, outcomes and priorities, and recommends that any discussion around those measures be left to a future term of council.