Wetaskiwin City Council amended the Council Meeting Procedural Bylaw at the regular April 14, 2020 City Council meeting to include an open microphone session for all regular Council meetings.
The updated Council Meeting Procedural Bylaw (1957-20) specifies that the open microphone session will immediately follow the call to order for each meeting.
This gives community members another avenue of communication with Wetaskiwin City Council. Those wishing to speak must register with the Legislative Clerk before the start of the meeting and provide their name, address, and the topic of their presentation.
“We want to hear from community members about things they are passionate about,” said Wetaskiwin Mayor Tyler Gandam. “The open mic option is yet another communication avenue available to those who want to share their thoughts and ideas with City Council.”
The open microphone session allows for attending community members to speak for a maximum of five (5) minutes—though the topic of the item brought forward cannot already be on the regular meeting agenda.
Official presentations can still be made to City Council, however, they must be scheduled at least 14 days in advance with the Legislative Clerk. These presentations appear on the published meeting agenda and are granted a 10-minute time limit.