The City of New Westminster will attempt to encourage voter turnout in municipal elections.
Coun. Jonathan Cote said some people feel overwhelmed by the municipal election process and the number of candidates on the ballot. He suggested one way to help improve voter turnout would be to create an election page on the city’s website so residents are better informed about municipal elections.
Council directed staff to investigate options for enhancing the city’s website to encourage higher voter turnout by including short biographies of candidates and a summary of the roles of school trustee and city council candidates.
Reports continue
It’s business as usual for the council reports section of city council meetings.
Coun. Jonathan Cote recommended the city develop a policy stating that council reports would not be introduced at council meetings after 10 p.m. He said exceptions could be made for pressing matters, such as offering condolences.
Regular council meetings include a time where council members report on items such as meetings and events they’ve attended.
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr thinks the matter should be handled on a case-by-case basis, as council reports are sometimes avoided if a meeting is running late.
“The public like the reports," he said. “Sometimes we go a bit late.”
A recommendation to have staff develop a policy on the issue resulted in a three-three tie, so it failed.
Earlier input needed
The city needs to consult with the public earlier in the budget process, says Coun. Betty McIntosh.
McIntosh said the mayor’s task force on the budget should be meeting earlier than it did as part of this year’s budget process.
“It is usually done much earlier in the year,” she said. “It is not usually done in February.”
