August 24, 1999

To:Administration Committee

From:City Clerk

Subject:Late Agenda Items for Committee and Council Meetings - Follow-up Report

 Purpose:

This report responds to the Administration Committee's request for additional consultation with Members of Council and further consideration of the issue of late agenda items for Committee and Council meetings.

Financial Implications:

There are no direct funding implications from the report recommendation.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that this report be received for information and that the City Clerk submit a full report on the matter of late agenda items to the October or November meeting of the Administration Committee.

Background:

The Administration Committee, at its meeting on July 13, 1999, had before it a communication (June 17, 1999) from the City Clerk, advising that City Council on June 9, 10 and 11, 1999, struck out and referred Clause No. 4 of Report No. 6 of The Corporate Services Committee, headed "Late Agenda Items for Committee and Council Meetings", to the Administration Committee for further consideration.

The Administration Committee:

(1)referred the aforementioned communication to the City Clerk for further consideration and report thereon to the Administration Committee for its meeting scheduled to be held on September 7, 1999; and

(2)requested the City Clerk to write to each Member of Council inviting comments respecting this matter and report thereon to the aforementioned meeting of the Administration Committee.

Comments:

A copy of the Committee clause was e-mailed to all members of Council and their Executive Assistants on July 16, 1999, with a request that any comments be forwarded to the City Clerk by August 6, 1999. The same request was forwarded to the CAO and Commissioners on August 4, with a request for comments by August 13. As of the date of this report, only a few comments have been received in response to these requests.

The direction from the Committee to report to the September 7, 1999 meeting meant that comments were required of Members in early August to allow staff the time to consider and prepare a report for the August 24 agenda closing deadline. Because of vacation schedules and other pressing business, a number of Members and senior staff were unavailable to consider this matter within these timelines.

This is an important issue, and Clerk's staff would prefer allowing Members more time to consider and provide comments, and also allow staff to follow-up directly with Standing Committee and Community Council Chairs prior to reporting back to the Administration Committee. Staff intend to bring forward further considered recommendations on this matter to the October or November 1999 committee meeting.

Conclusions:

Staff are following-up with Members to ensure that their comments are received before staff re-consider this matter and report further to the Administration Committee.

Contact Name:

Peter Fay, Senior Policy and Planning Analyst, City Clerk's Division

Telephone: (416) 392-8668E-mail: pfay@toronto.ca

________________________

Novina Wong

City Clerk