Special Council Meetings

Special Council meetings are called from time to time on an as needed basis. 

Council has the authority to conduct special meetings. A special meeting is a meeting other than a regular or statutory meeting. In general, council will conduct their business during regularly scheduled meetings. However, there will be occasions when a council needs to call a special meeting, for example:

• A new By-Law may be required to prohibit a particular activity that, in the absence of the By-Law, would likely occur soon. Council may hold a special meeting for timely adoption of the By-Law if their regular meeting schedule, and the need to separate the first three readings of the By-Law from fourth reading and final adoption, would result in unacceptable delays.
• Council may choose to schedule special meetings at budget time to allow members to focus solely on their review of the townships proposed financial plan.
• Council may choose to hold special meetings to debate important development projects or the implications of major events to the municipality or regional district.
• Head of Council may call a special meeting in the event of an extreme weather event.
• The Clerk Treasurer might call a special meeting upon receipt of a petition from a majority of councillors.

A special meeting may be called by:

• The Mayor, or
• The Mayor upon request by two or more council members, or
• Two or more Council members under specified circumstances

Municipal staff members are required to post a notice of every special Council meeting, including the date, time and place and purpose of the meeting, unless Council unanimously votes to not provide notice.

Conducting Special Meetings Electronically

 In cases where in-person attendance is not possible, the Council could choose to hold the special meeting electronically.