Framework & Corporate Policy for New Deputy Mayor with Portfolio Program Approved by Burlington Council
Burlington Council has approved a framework, through bylaw amendments and a corporate policy, related to the Deputy Mayor with Portfolio program to help provide context to the program and accountability.
MY TAKE:I'm grateful to every councillor for leaning into their new Deputy Mayor with Portfolio roles, since they were announced. They've embraced the additional work and shown how passionate they are about the subject matter of their portfolio. This is an evolving position that has, to my knowledge, never been implemented in any other municipality. I want to thank everyone for the robust conversation we had during Council’s earlier workshop on this in February 2023. This is going to be an iterative process. I’ve greatly benefited from working with each Councillor in their portfolio role and I think it’s a great model. Since its launch, I have been getting questions from my fellow mayors across the province about it and there’s interest in the sector for how this works.
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To read the Council-approved motion, staff report and related supporting documents, please click/tap the links below:
- Staff report: CL-14-23 - Procedure By-law Amendment - Deputy Mayor .pdf
- Appendices:
COUNCIL-APPROVED MOTION:
BACKGROUND:The purpose of the staff report is to create a framework for the Deputy Mayor programs, through a Procedure By-law amendment and a draft policy.Sections 224 and 242 of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25 (the Act) outlines the duties of the Head of Council and provides for delegation of these duties in absence of the Head of Council. These provisions ensure the continuity of municipal operations. On Nov. 15, 2022, at the Inaugural meeting of Council, the Mayor introduced the concept of Deputy Mayors with Portfolio, a change to the current governance model. At the Dec. 5, CSSRA meeting, Report MO-03-22 provided additional information on the portfolios assigned and their scope.At the February 2023 Council Workshop on the Procedure By-law the topic of Deputy Mayor with Portfolio was discussed at length. At the meeting the Mayor was afforded with the opportunity to provide their rational for the assignments. In addition, the Mayor was present to respond to questions from Members regarding the program.During the Workshop, Members participated in a values conversation and agreed on key principles in connection to the assigned duties and the general scope of the role. Much of the discussion focused on how the program would be implemented. A staff direction was issued to the Office of the City Clerk to take the discussion held at that meeting and return with a Procedure By-law amendment and a document that provides how the program would work.In response, staff prepared a Procedure By-law amendment, attached as Appendix A and a draft policy, Appendix B, these documents work in concert with one another to provide the foundation for the Deputy Mayor program.Councillor's Deputy Mayor Portfolios:
- Deputy Mayor for Business & Red Tape Reduction: Ward 1 Councillor Kelvin Galbraith
- Deputy Mayor for Community Engagement & Partnerships. Ward 2 Councillor Lisa Kearns
- Deputy Mayor for the Environment: Ward 3 Councillor Rory Nisan
- Deputy Mayor for Housing: Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte
- Deputy Mayor for Strategy & Budgets: Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman
- Deputy Mayor for Recreation and Community Services: Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna
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