At the beginning of every Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) council meeting, the public is allowed five minutes to ask any question of mayor and council they wish.
These questions often range considerably, from topics on that day's agenda to concerns about previous agenda items from weeks past, or resident concerns about neighbourhood-specific issues like parking problems and potholes.
The public question and answer (Q&A) period is a time for concerned Whistlerites to find out what their mayor and council think about any topic. However, this will change if a proposed pilot project is approved at the April 18 council meeting.
The RMOW is proposing a six-month pilot, ending Oct. 18, that will see the format of the Q&A changed to “improve effectiveness and productivity for everyone involved,” as a report to council describes it, with significant changes to how much and what kind of public input is allowed at council meetings.
The new rules will allow the public to make comments in addition to questions, while reducing the time each speaker gets from five to three minutes (tracked by a clock on the podium).
Speakers will be restricted from asking questions or commenting on anything unrelated to topics on the agenda (as well as agenda items from the previous two meetings), and are required to sign up to speak ahead of the meeting (or in-person at the meeting). The new rules propose a 30-minute time limit for the Q&A, while also giving the meeting chair the discretion to extend it.
Under the current format, people can ask questions on any topic with a maximum time of five minutes per questioner, including the time for the mayor to answer the question. No sign-up sheets or registrations are required to ask questions; residents only have to state their name and address.
Under the current rules, Whistler council Q&As can range from minutes to hours, depending on the number of questioners and the amount of questions they ask.
The staff report notes that the vast majority of questions brought before mayor and council in 2021 were inapplicable to any agenda item, with 48 out of 61 questions (80 per cent) unrelated to the agenda of the day. The number of unrelated questions decreased to 56 per cent in 2022, due mainly to the hours-long marathon Q&A session regarding the Northlands Development, and potential relocation of the Whistler Racket Club, where more than a dozen people asked questions about the proposed rezoning.
To understand how these changes stack up against other communities in B.C., the RMOW legislative affairs department surveyed 50 of the 161 municipalities in the province, and received responses from 30. Of those, the RMOW found that 73 per cent allowed public Q&A, while eight municipalities did not. Only three municipalities required the public to register before the meeting, putting Whistler well into the minority in that regard.
At the same time, 52 per cent required the speakers to focus on an agenda item of the day. The placement of the Q&A in each municipality's agenda differed from town to town, with most surveyed communities fielding questions at the end of the meeting.
If approved, the pilot will not change how letters to council are received. To have a letter to council make that week's agenda, the RMOW must receive it by the Wednesday preceding the meeting. If residents wish to provide correspondence relating to an item on the agenda, they have until 3:30 p.m. on the day of the council meeting to get it in as late correspondence.
"By writing to mayor and council, this ensures the author that the letter will be considered before the meeting by the mayor, council and staff," the report said. "Often, the letters are discussed by council, and staff may provide more information during the meeting. When that letter is referred to staff, the letter writer will also receive a confirmation that their letter has been considered by council and shared directly with staff."
Council will discuss the pilot at the Tuesday, April 18 council meeting. Current Q&A rules still apply.
Check back with Pique later this week for more on this story.
