Petition Policy

Council adopted a ﾑpetition policyﾒ policy for use by members of the public when wanting to present a petition to council.

POLICY:

WHEREAS petitions are received from time to time on matters the public feel are of importance;

AND WHEREAS Council considers petitions as an important option for citizens to address Council AND WHEREAS petitions need to meet a minimum standard in order to contribute to civil debate and discussions.

NOW THEREFORE Council hereby approves the following policy with respect to the submission of petitions:

1. Presentation by Filing With the Clerk

A petition to Council must be submitted to the Clerk who shall examine it and certify that it is correct as to form and content.

2. Petitions to be Certified as to Form

In order to be certified by the Clerk, every petition shall:
a. be addressed to Council
b. contain a clear, proper and respectful request that Council take some action within its authority
c. not be argumentative or harshly worded
d. not contain libelous or false statements
e. not criticize any one person or group
f. be written, typewritten or printed in English, without erasures or insertions g. have its request appear at the top of every sheet, if it consists of more than one sheet of signatures
h. contain the printed names, addresses and original signatures written directly on the face of the petition and not pasted thereon or otherwise transferred to it; photocopies will not be accepted
i. contain a notice on each page that the name and address of every person who signs it may be made available to the public

3. Consideration by Committee

The Clerk shall forward a petition, certified as to form, to the appropriate Committee of Council for inclusion on the agenda and consideration by the members.

4. Presentation to Committee

If a member of the public requests the opportunity to present a petition before Committee, they shall give notice to the Clerk, accompanied by a written brief outlining the subject matter of the presentation, no later than 12:00 noon three (3) business days prior to the meeting of Council or Council committee.

The person(s) shall be limited in speaking not more than ten (10) minutes except that a delegation consisting of more than five (5) persons shall be limited to two (2) speakers, each limited to speaking not more than five (5) minutes.

Passed by Council December 14, 2004