An idea in St. Stephen that would have eliminated time for public comment at council meetings could have made democracy less accessible and local officials less accountable, a concerned expert says.
The idea was one of the options councillors considered this week when they looked at public participation and possibly getting rid of it.
Councillors ultimately decided to leave a decision about the public’s role to the next council, which will be elected in May.
The issue of how much say residents should get at council has risen after several years of serious challenges in St. Stephen — homelessness, the location of a homeless shelter, a lack of affordable housing — and the public scrutiny that council decisions invited.
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A small-town council considers removing public-comment time at meetings
While St. Stephen councillors ultimately decided not to make any changes, an expert warned their proposals could cross a line.
Three options related to public access to council were drafted by Jeff Renaud, the chief administrative officer.
The first would have allowed public comment with pre-registration and made it illegal to film or record meetings.
A second option would have allowed citizens to send written submissions to council. These would be distributed to all councillors but wouldn’t have to be shared with the public. Nor would council be required to address the submissions at meetings.
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