Appear as a Delegation at Council

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Richmond Hill Council welcomes your ideas and suggestions about the future of the community. Contact your local councillor directly or fill out an Application to Appear Before Committee/Council to voice your opinions in-person.

Appearing as a delegation at Council

Your application to appear before Council will allow you to appear as a delegation before the Committee of the Whole, which is attended by all Members of Council. Anyone in the community can speak, either on their own or as a representative of an organization or group.

As a delegation, you may speak for up to five minutes. To appear as a delegation, fill out and submit the online Application to Appear Before Committee/Council or email the Office of the Clerk. Keep reading to learn about the deadlines to submit an application.

Committee of the Whole and Council meeting times

Council passed a motion at its July 9, 2019 meeting to hold Committee of the Whole meetings on the first Wednesday of the month and Council meetings on the third Wednesday of the month, with both meetings beginning at 9:30 a.m. These new meeting times are for a trial period between September and December. The first Committee of the Whole meeting for this pilot project is September 4 at 9:30 a.m. The first Council meeting will be on September 18 at 9:30 a.m.

If you wish to appear as a delegation at an upcoming meeting, complete an online Application to Appear Before Committee/Council and send it to the Office of the Clerk no later than 12 p.m. on the day prior to the meeting.

Topics already on a meeting agenda

September to December 2019 Council and Committee of the Whole meetings

During the trial period when Council and Committee of the Whole meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month at 9:30 a.m. and Council meetings on the third Wednesday of the month at 9:30 a.m., you can apply to speak about a topic on an upcoming meeting agenda by notifying the City Clerk no later than 12 p.m. the day prior to the meeting. To do so, fill out and submit online Application to Appear Before Committee/Council, email the Office of the Clerk or call 905-771-8800 to advise the Office of the Clerk that you would like to speak about a scheduled topic.

Regular Meeting Schedule

You can speak about a topic already on an upcoming agenda by notifying the City Clerk no later than noon the day of the meeting. To do so, fill out and submit online Application to Appear Before Committee/Council, email the Office of the Clerk or call 905-771-8800 to let them know you'd like to speak about a scheduled topic.

Office of the Clerk staff can advise you when a particular topic will be on an upcoming agenda. To fill out a Request for Notification form, email the Office of the Clerk.

What happens after I speak?

After a delegation has raised an issue or topic, Councillors may have further questions for:

the delegation
Richmond Hill staff
Members of Council

Members of Council will often put forward a motion for discussion and debate about the topic. The delegation will take a seat and watch the debate. Another motion can be put forward and is voted on after the debate. Motions that pass are recommended to Council for approval the following week.

Materials for your presentation

You can provide Members of Council with hard copies of material you refer to during your presentation as a delegation. We ask that you provide 15 copies of your materials to the Office of the Clerk.

Contact the Office of the Clerk before your scheduled presentation to make arrangements for PowerPoint presentations or other audio or video requirements.

Public Forum Period at Council meetings

The Mayor invites members of the community to speak about topics not listed on the meeting agenda during the Public Forum Period before Council meetings. The Council meeting begins after 15 minutes of the Public Forum Period. There are no guarantees you will have a chance to speak due to the limited amount of time and the number of speakers that may be present.

We recommend you register as a delegation to the Committee of the Whole to make sure you have a chance to speak about your issue.

Meeting schedule

April to September 2019 meetings

Committee of the Whole Meetings: 9:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday of every month
Council Meetings: 9:30 a.m. on the third Wednesday of every month
Council Public Meetings: 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of every month
There are no Committee of the Whole or Council Meetings scheduled for the last two weeks of July or the month of August

Regular meeting schedule

Committee of the Whole Meetings: 4:30 p.m. on the first and third Monday of every month
Council Meetings: 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of every month
Council Public Meetings: 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of every month
There are no Committee of the Whole or Council Meetings scheduled for the last two weeks of July or the month of August
There are no Council Public Meetings scheduled in July and August

This schedule can change due to statutory holidays or an increase in items that Council needs to consider. View an updated schedule or contact the Office of the Clerk about the latest schedule.

Meetings are held in the Council Chambers at:

225 East Beaver Creek Road, First Floor
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3P4

Additional information

Our Procedural By-Law includes the Committee of the Whole and Council Meetings procedures. You can also contact the Office of the Clerk for more information. Reach the Clerk by phone at 905-771-8800.

We offer an assistive listening system in Council Chambers. Contact the Office of the Clerk to let them know in advance that you need to use this system. You can also speak with the Clerk's Office staff before the start of the meeting.

Learn more about the process of Delegations of Committee of the Whole and Delegations at Council.

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