Discussion around recorded votes gets heated

By Casandra Turnbull

To record or not to record that was the question that sparked a heated debate amongst committee members at Tuesday’s Administration & Operations Committee meeting.

It started with a motion from Paris Councillor Lukas Oakley back in March to request that staff investigate recorded voting options for all standing committee and council votes It’s a campaign promise he’s trying to deliver on in a bid to enhance transparency and accountability amongst elected officials As it stands now, committee members vote by show of hands for or against a motion, however it’s not recorded who voted which way. Procedural By-law notes that a recorded vote can be requested on any motions by a member before or after any vote. It usually only happens on critical items

Lukas hopes to build a solid foundation of trust and accountability between elected officials and constituents by ensuring all votes are recorded so residents know exactly where councillors stand on issues To do so, county staff investigated three options: maintain status quo, purchase recorded voting software to the tune of $5,000 per year or record votes through microphones, which would require some technical upgrades to meet the desired requirements The latter two options also require additional staff time and resources and training. Staff recommended council supports the status quo After much back-and-forth discussion, the first recorded vote of the evening took place – whether to support staff’s recommendation or not. Maintaining status quo was defeated 4-6 with Councillors John MacAlpine, Robert Chambers, Brian Coleman and Mayor David Bailey voting to keep status quo.

“I’m dumbfounded by this to tell the truth,” said Councillor Robert Chambers “It will add confusion, time and it’s completely unnecessary….. if someone wants to know how I voted they can ask me, and I will tell them I think it’s a terrible resolution,” he stated.

Councillor John Bell shared an opposite view, saying it would add minimal time to meetings, but value in the long run. “I think over time it would be a good public interest to understand how each councillor is voting on issues of interest to them,” he said

When questioned on a timeline to implement recorded votes, Oakley indicated he’d like to see procedural bylaws changed right away, if supported. Councillors MacAlpine and David Miller both noted recorded voting would be a burden on county staff, particularly clerks, who would need to change the way agendas and minutes are prepared and presented, make procedural changes to bylaws, require additional staffing to record votes, and it would even change how meetings are held, particularly in camera sessions and on the floor changes (amendments) to motions.

For those reasons, Councillor Miller suggested the motion be tabled or deferred to the 2024 budget to give staff time to figure out how to implement the change and account for any financial impacts.

Once again committee members participated in another recorded vote on whether to support Miller’s amendment to defer. In a 6-4 vote, it was determined that any procedural changes for recorded voting will be held until next year. Chambers, Miller, Coleman, MacAlpine, Peirce and Bailey all voted to table the motion for now A step towards healthier municipal democracy is on the horizon, just not this year