Discussion Responsibilities of Councillors Part 1

Responsibilities​

A member of council has to balance the dual responsibility of representing the interests of their constituents with ensuring the long-term well-being of the municipality.

They must play 3 main roles:

• Representative
• Policy-maker
• Steward

These roles will sometimes overlap as you have to weigh complex decisions that have different advantages and drawbacks for the people vs the municipality, your ward vs the entire community and the short-term vs the long-term. Many decisions will have a lasting impact on the town long after your time in office.

Representative role​

You were elected by your constituents to represent them, their views and concerns in office, but they will have conflicting opinions and interests on some issues so you will not be able to represent everyone equally, all of the time. You can, however, make their voices heard by responding to their inquiries, bringing the most pressing issues before council and ideally resolving them.

Your decisions may not be popular with everyone, but they are best made evidence-based and data-driven by taking into account all available information.

There may also be circumstances where decisions are made by designated staff who operate at arm’s length from the council, and where it could be inappropriate for elected officials to interfere or be seen to be interfering. Examples of this include decisions made by statutory officers such as the clerk, treasurer, fire chief, chief building official or medical officer of health.

It is the role of council:

1. to represent the public and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality;
2. to develop and evaluate the policies and programs of the municipality;
3. to determine which services the municipality provides;
4. to ensure that administrative policies, practices and procedures and controllership policies, practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of council;
5. to ensure the accountability and transparency of the operations of the municipality, including the activities of the senior management of the municipality;
6. to maintain the financial integrity of the municipality; and
7. to carry out the duties of council under this or any other Act.

Section 224 of the Municipal Act

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These individuals may also be acting in accordance with accountability provisions under other pieces of legislation, which may impact their advice to council.

If your municipality does not have a policy for handling public inquiries, complaints, and frequently asked questions, you may want to consider working with council and staff to develop such a policy. The Ontario Ombudsman encourages the development of local complaints processes, and you may wish to consult the Ontario Ombudsman’s tip sheet for developing a local process.