Procedural By-law Review

Project Background

Every municipality in Ontario is required to have a Procedural By-law (By-law) that governs how Council and Committee members carry out the business of the municipality. Stratford’s Procedural By-law was created in 2007 and has been amended periodically to address housekeeping or legislative changes.

The City is in the process of undertaking a comprehensive review of the By-law, with public input. Through this review, we hope to:

• Improve the meeting experience for all attendees, including the public, delegates, and Council Members;
• Ensure decision making is efficient;
• Reflect the changing demographics within the City; and
• Account for changes in technology

Staff have been seeking community feedback to be considered as a part of the By-law review. Results from the community engagement will be considered alongside an analysis of best practices from comparator communities and guided by the expertise of municipal staff with the goals of:

• Creating effective and efficient meetings that work for the City of Stratford; and
• Providing clarity and ease of participation for the public