Councils make decisions on many important issues such as community services, infrastructure and planning.
Councils make decisions at formal council meetings and must follow a uniform set of rules when conducting meetings. Council committees can make decisions delegated by the council. Similarly, the council’s general manager makes delegated operational decisions.
Meeting types
There are three types of council meetings:
- Ordinary meetings are regular meetings of the council held at least once a month.
- Special meetings are convened for a particular purpose by the mayor, a majority of councillors or by resolution at a council meeting.
- Council committee meetings are held as needed to oversee specific functions, such as the council’s finance, strategic planning or service areas.
The mayor is the chairperson of ordinary and special council meetings. In the mayor’s absence, the deputy mayor is the chairperson. If both are absent, the councillors that are present elect one of their number to be the chairperson of the meeting.
Open and closed council meetings
Council decision-making must be as open and transparent as possible.
Council meetings are open to the public unless the topic for discussion is about a matter that may need to be kept confidential. Examples of confidential matters include staff, commercial, security or legal matters. Councils are allowed to discuss these matters in a meeting, or part of a meeting, that is closed to the public.
During a closed meeting, the council decides whether discussions, reports or documents and outcomes relating to the closed meeting need to be kept confidential or can be made public.
Members of the public can attend open council meetings.
Meeting agendas and minutes
The general manager prepares meeting agendas and papers for councillors. Adequate time must be provided for councillors to read council papers before the meeting.
After a council meeting, the general manager prepares meeting minutes which form the official record of the decisions made by the council.
Meeting agendas, papers and minutes are publicly available, and are usually published on council websites, except on matters that need to remain confidential.
Voting and council decisions
Each councillor, including the mayor and deputy mayor, has one vote on decisions made at a council meeting or a committee meeting.
Council decisions are decided by simple majority (more than half of those present), unless an absolute majority is required by law. Tied votes are treated as a negative vote.
The mayor is the spokesperson for the council and must represent accurately the decisions of the council.
