September 5, 2023

Same faces, different places – Council seating arrangements on the move

You may notice that Councillor seating has changed when tuning into Council meetings or viewing them in person. Approving a report by City Clerk Tara Stephens, Council chose Option 2 (amended as per the image below) between two options:

Option 1 - Pairing the ward members together around the council chamber.

The pairing of ward members would result in wards 1 - 3 being to the right of the Mayor, and wards 4 - 6 being to the left of the Mayor.

Option 2 - Splitting the ward members around the council chamber.

Splitting the ward members would result in having one ward member to the left and right of the Mayor. Ward 1 would sit closest to the Mayor, which would result in ward 6 sitting furthest from the Mayor.

Council chooses hiring committee for CAO search

On August 24, 2023, Welland City Council approved a motion that the CAO Hiring Committee be comprised of the Mayor and four members of council. Those members of council are required to be appointed by majority vote and were selected Tuesday night. The City Clerk received interest from the following members of council to be considered for appointment to the CAO Hiring Committee (chosen members bolded):

Councillor Sharmila Setaram
Councillor Graham Speck
Councillor Claudette Richard
Councillor Bonnie Fokkens
Councillor Leo Van Vliet
Councillor Adam Moote

Three parks and a parkette - playground consultants chosen

The MBTW Group has been named the consultants to move Deere Street Park, St. George Park, Memorial Park, and the Michael Drive parkland area forward.

Council approved the award in the amount of $81,224.83, inclusive of the City’s portion of the tax, to The MBTW GROUP for professional services and oversight of the three playground replacements that were approved in the 2023 capital budget along with professional services for the future Michael Drive Parkette as approved in the Playground Renewal Advancement.