As committee membership and many of the other decisions Councillors make at the beginning of a term had been made before I was elected (such as, who would attend local body conferences, who would represent council on various outside organisations) I was effectively "slotted in" to the positions held by the previous incumbent.
Okay, so I have been given my portfolio and I now know what committees I am on. I attend meetings. Is that it? Not by a long way!
A City Councillor's role is governance, not management. Collectively, we are responsible for setting policies and procedures, for determining the range of services and activities to be provided, and monitoring these. We employ the CEO and we delegate the implementation of our decisions to him.
Meetings do take up a lot of time, however these are just a small part of the work that goes on. During the 2003-2004 financial year, a total of approximately 160 ordinary, extraordinary or adjourned meetings were held. Adjourned meetings were those meetings which were held over two or more separate days.
Prior to decisions being made at meetings there are briefings, workshops and presentations and a continual process of education and upskilling.
Councillors must keep an open mind on all issues and must ensure they are as informed as possible about every aspect of every item which comes up for discussion. This means not only reading and understanding all reports, but also taking into account the social, cultural, financial and other implications of each decision and how they relate to the plans, policies and strategic direction of council.
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