Council Agendas and Minutes

Council meetings are usually held on Mondays and begin at 1:30 p.m. and are open to the public. Meetings take place in Council Chambers at City Hall (4420 50 Avenue). Meetings vary in length depending on the number of items on the agenda, but average between two and three hours.

If public hearings are scheduled, they will begin at 2 p.m. and include a presentation, as well as opportunities for anyone who supports or opposes the issue to speak. Public hearings are held to introduce a new bylaw or changing of land use. After the public hearing(s), the regular Council meeting will resume.

Council decisions are passed with a majority vote in favour. If there is a tied vote, the resolution of the bylaw is defeated.

All Councillors present at a Council meeting shall vote on every motion unless they have identified a conflict of interest, which must be declared at the beginning of each meeting. Once the item of conflict arises, it is common practice for the Councillor(s) to leave Council Chambers.

• Regular Meetings
  • Routinely held, these meetings allow Mayor and Council to vote on items such as bylaws, capital projects and expenditures, and budget, among other items. Council approves the Regular Council Meeting schedule before the next calendar year.
• Special Meetings
  • A Special Council Meeting is called with shorter notice and is not on the yearly meeting schedule. These meetings do not occur often and can only be held for the specific business in which the meeting was required. These meetings are held for time-sensitive items that cannot wait until the following regular Council meeting.
• Governance and Priorities Committee (GPC) Meetings
  • Held monthly, GPC meetings are for presentations and information gathering. No decisions can be made. GPC Meetings are an opportunity for Council to hear more information on a project/initiative before it comes forward to Council for decision.

An in camera session is the portion of a Council Meeting that is for Council to discuss sensitive items such as those within Part III of The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Council cannot make any decisions during an in camera session. To pass any motions or resolutions, Council must close the in camera session and return to an open session.

Anyone who is not a member of Council or the Executive Leadership Team is required to leave Council Chambers during an in camera session, and the livestream/recordings are ended. This would include other members of Administration and members of the public and media.

There are no recorded minutes or notes taken during an in camera session.

Before each meeting, the City’s Legislative Services department prepares a meeting agenda. The meeting agenda lists all the items intended for consideration or discussion at the meeting. It usually also contains administrative reports and recommendations on these matters. Councillors use these reports as a source of information and advice to assist their decision making.

Legislative Services publishes the Council/Governance and Priorities Committee meeting agenda on the City’s website on the Friday before the scheduled meeting. In the event of a Special Council meeting, the main items on the agenda may be advertised in local papers.

The minutes of each Council meeting is provided to Council for approval at the next regular Council meeting. Once approved, they may be read or inspected by any person at any time during regular business hours. A copy of the approved minutes is available online at calendar.lloydminster.ca/meetings. You will need to adjust the date range in the search feature.

All meetings are open to the public, and no person shall be excluded except for improper conduct. The only exception to limit access is when Council closes all or part of the meeting to the public (in camera sessions) to discuss confidential items. Attending Council meetings can be an excellent way to understand how Council makes decisions. While the doors to Council Chambers are never locked during a meeting, attendees are encouraged to arrive early as not to disrupt the meeting. Public seating is located just inside the doors of Council Chambers.

If you are unable to attend, you can watch live from your desktop or mobile device at lloydminster.ca/livestream.