Prince George City Council is getting creative in the face of ‘unprecedented’ circumstances.
New rules for how Council meetings will move forward were inked at tonight’s (Monday) meeting.
While the provincial state of emergency is in place, all councillors and the Mayor will be permitted to attend meetings by phone.
Previously only four were allowed to do so.
Meetings will also be closed to the public for the duration of the state of emergency.
However, the biggest change comes to public hearings.
For informal applications, like temporary use permits and variance applications, the requirement for a public hearing will be waived.
Residents would be able to provide a written comment as an alternative.
“The public notices would still be sent out as per the legislation, and members of the public could still provide input on those formal hearings by written submissions,” clarified General Manager of Administrative Services Walter Babicz.
For formal applications that require changes to the Official Community Plan (OCP) to be waived, they have to be consistent with the OCP, the application has to be supported by staff, and not expected to create a lot of public input.
The decision to waive a public hearing will be made on a case-by-case basis.
“It’s always a judgment call, and staff would make the judgment call initially, and then put the recommendation in the staff report,” added Babicz.
If a public hearing is not waived, it will be postponed ‘to the extent that we can’ says Babicz.
“In those situations, where a public hearing does proceed than of course staff will be very careful to have a strategy in place to comply with any health orders that are in effect at that time.”
Bylaws that don’t require third party approval are now able to be given the first three readings and adoption in the same meeting.
In-person delegation presentations are no longer allowed, but will also provide a chance for them to submit a written statement.
The meetings will continue to be live-streamed and available on the city’s website.
Lastly, Mayor Lyn Hall has been authorized to either change the 6 pm meeting start time or cancel the meeting entirely depending on the agenda.
“Unprecedented times require unprecedented thinking, and here we are,” said Mayor Hall.
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