Monday’s New West city council meeting came to an abrupt end when three councillors voted against a motion to extend the meeting past 10:30 p.m.
Legislation requires city council to vote to extend the meeting past 10:30 p.m.
There were a few chuckles in council chambers when councillors Daniel Fontaine, Jaimie McEvoy and Nadine Nakagawa voted against the motion to extend the meeting. Legislative services staff, however, quickly informed the mayor that a motion to extend the meeting had to be supported by two-thirds of council members present at the meeting.
“I don’t think that council understood that before they made that vote, so I will give council an opportunity to vote again,” said Mayor Patrick Johnstone.
But a second vote to extend the meeting past 10:30 p.m. also resulted in a 4-3 vote, this time with Coun. Paul Minhas joining Fontaine and McEvoy in voting against the motion to extend the meeting.
“Three opposed, the meeting is adjourned,” Johnstone said.
While McEvoy said he would “reluctantly” change his vote, Johnstone said the vote stood.
“It’s too late; you have already voted,” Johnstone replied. “The meeting is adjourned. The items that are remaining on today’s agenda will be passed on, will happen next meeting.”
Along with Johnstone, councillors Nakagawa, Ruby Campbell and Tasha Henderson supported the vote to extend the meeting past 10:30 p.m.
The public meeting began at 6 p.m., but council had started its workday earlier in the afternoon with an incamera meeting.
At the time that the meeting abruptly ended, council was one-third of the way through voting on Minhas’s motion concerning “supporting the victim of random and violent crimes in New Westminster. (Council had previously agreed to vote on the three components of his motion individually).
Items that had yet to be dealt with will now be considered at the next meeting. Those included an announcement regarding the City of New Westminster’s acting director of finance.
