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㽶ƵֱIt was my mistake㽶Ƶֱ: Kelowna council votes down pay raise reconsideration

Councillor Ron Cannan made the motion to reconsider which was supported by Coun. Mohini Singh
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Kelowna Councillor Ron Cannan. (City of Kelowna video)

There were a few unhappy councillors at the end of Monday㽶Ƶֱs (Apr.22) meeting following a failed attempt to reconsider pay raises voted on and passed a week ago.

Councillor Ron Cannan made the motion to reconsider which was supported by Coun. Mohini Singh.

㽶ƵֱCan we ask for greater clarity on why, we make so many decisions day in and day out, we need to reconsider this decision?㽶Ƶֱ asked Mayor Tom Dyas.

Cannan pointed out that he made a request at the end of last week㽶Ƶֱs (Apr. 15) meeting that he wanted to be on the record as opposed to adopting the remuneration bylaw.

Dyas asked Cannan why he had a change of heart.

㽶ƵֱThere wasn㽶Ƶֱt,㽶Ƶֱ Cannan replied. 㽶ƵֱI missed the vote it was my mistake. I waited until the end of the meeting so as not to disrupt proceedings㽶ƵֱI asked to be on the record as being opposed. I was told I can㽶Ƶֱt because our council procedure bylaws require it to come back for reconsideration.㽶Ƶֱ

City clerk Laura Bentley confirmed that 㽶Ƶֱcouncil may put forward a motion to reconsider a decision already made.㽶Ƶֱ

READ MORE: Kelowna council still divided over pay increase

During the Apr. 15 meeting, an item before the remuneration bylaw was removed from the agenda, which appeared to confuse some councillors as to which matter they were voting on.

㽶ƵֱI made a mistake,㽶Ƶֱ admitted Coun. Rick Webber regarding the deleted item. 㽶ƵֱIt had been taken off the agenda kind of on the fly and I hadn㽶Ƶֱt caught on to that, I was distracted.㽶Ƶֱ

Webber said by the end of that meeting he wondered if council actually voted on remuneration. 㽶ƵֱI had to go back and look at the tapes and saw indeed we did vote, and we all voted yes. It was later I realized I voted on the wrong thing.㽶Ƶֱ

Although, Webber added he did not see a need to reconsider the matter as the result is not likely to change.

Councillors Singh and Gord Lovegrove said they made similar mistakes. Singh said previously that she is not opposed to a raise, just the amount.

㽶ƵֱI would like to see my vote documented as being against it, but I don㽶Ƶֱt have a big problem with it.㽶Ƶֱ

Lovegrove said he and his colleagues voted on something they missed.

㽶ƵֱWe were distracted, whatever words you want to use. Reconsideration could overturn that bylaw and that㽶Ƶֱs not where I㽶Ƶֱm going with supporting this motion.㽶Ƶֱ

Coun. Loyal Wooldridge said that revisiting the decision would set a dangerous precedent.

㽶ƵֱIt is incumbent on us to be paying attention to the agenda and the clerk does a great job of ensuring where we are at in the agenda.㽶Ƶֱ

Lovegrove attempted to make a motion, citing a parliamentary rule that would allow council (with 75 per cent support) to amend the minutes of the Apr. 15 meeting to reflect the non-support of the four councillors.

Dyas didn㽶Ƶֱt allow that, prompting Cannan to call for a point of order and ask the city clerk if that was a possibility. Bentley noted that the minutes had already been adopted by council.

㽶ƵֱThe minutes reflect what transpired in the meeting㽶Ƶֱit㽶Ƶֱs not practice to amend them after the fact.㽶Ƶֱ

Dyas said in reviewing the video of the Apr. 15 meeting it was clear to him how councillors voted.

㽶ƵֱI do not want to get into a practice of turning around and revisiting decisions especially when we㽶Ƶֱre dealing with major developments and if something gets into a 5-4 vote and want to change our vote at the end of a meeting I don㽶Ƶֱt want to set that precedent.㽶Ƶֱ

Council voted down Cannan㽶Ƶֱs motion.

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About the Author: Gary Barnes

Journalist and broadcaster for three decades.
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