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Discussions will be held this fall on the scope of work that members of Lethbridge City Council do. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

Committee to discuss workload of Lethbridge city councillors

Jul 24, 2024 | 11:11 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – We could soon get a better picture of how much work city councillors in Lethbridge actually do.

At the Lethbridge City Council meeting on July 23, 2024, members voted unanimously to discuss the workload, expectations and resources of elected officials later this year.

A different motion was originally proposed by Councillor Jenn Schmidt-Rempel, who wanted to spend $90,000 to hire a consulting firm to do a full review.

She pointed out that city councillors in Lethbridge are classified as being part-time with an expected 20 hours of work per week. However, she notes that most members of council actually work significantly more than that and many could be considered full-time.

The elected members not only have to take part in regular council meetings, but each are assigned to various committees that meet regularly. Schmidt-Rempel explains that they also spend a lot of time answering correspondence from the public, researching issues, drafting motions and attending events.

She told council that she has heard from some residents who had initially considered running for city council but decided against it when they learned what the realities of the job really are.

Councillor Jeff Carlson says he experienced a similar workload shock when he was elected in 2007. He found the workload on council to be more than he anticipated, but stuck with it regardless.

Councillor John Middleton-Hope, however, stated that the differences in expectations versus reality cannot be too big as 32 people ran for council in the last election to fill eight seats.

Schmidt-Rempel believes that getting a full and accurate picture of the scope of council’s work would help to set up future municipal candidates up for success.

Although Schmidt-Rempel said a review would not necessarily have to look into things like pay, benefits, and classifications for councillors, the discussion could help to drive decision making in those areas in the future.

The idea of hiring a consulting firm was shot down in a 7-2 vote as many of the members who were opposed felt that it was too high of a price tag for what it was.

Instead, the Governance Standing Policy Committee will discuss the matter at its meeting on October 24, 2024.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now

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