Windsor council will now meet at 10 a.m. after split vote decided by mayor
City staff says the 4 p.m. start times could cost as much as $20,000 in overtime this year
Council has narrowly voted to move the start time of city council meetings to 10 a.m. following a lengthy debate at Windsor's city hall.
The move will adjust meetings from 4 p.m. to a day-time start, while continuing to allow people to attend virtually or in-person.
City staff recommended moving start times to 1 p.m. next year, in part, to save money after estimating the later start time has costed between $10,000 and $20,000 in overtime this year.
In a split vote, council instead decided to move forward with a 10 a.m. start time as proposed by Ward 4 Coun. Mark McKenzie.
That was met with groans from some people in council chambers.
"We gotta remember we're no longer a 9-5 city, we never were and even more so now we're not a 9-5 city," he said.
"I think 10 a.m. works."
Councillors McKenzie, Jo-Anne Gignac, Renaldo Agostino, Jim Morrison, and Ed Sleiman supported the motion.
Councillors Kieran McKenzie, Fred Francis, Fabio Costante, Angelo Marignani and Gary Kaschak voted against the motion.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens cast the deciding vote in favour of the motion to move the start time to 10 a.m.
An earlier push from Costante, supported by Francis, to defer the decision while city staff work on a more fulsome report, was defeated.
Council meeting 'least effective time' to engage on issues
"Eighty-thousand voters in the city, one person came to express their opinion," said Dilkens before the recorded vote.
That delegate, Kerry Ippolito, spoke against the change in time.
She told council that an earlier start time would be difficult for people to attend without missing work.
WATCH | Why this Windsor resident doesn't want council start times to change:
Dilkens said the best way for people to communicate with council is not at council meeting but the days leading up to them.
"The least effective time for a person to share their opinion and engage with city council is in the theatre of city council."
Ippolito said the time should not change because an earlier start won't allow people to present or listen to council.
She said adding virtual options to present is helpful but doesn't work for everyone.
"That's not an option for a minimum wage earner who can not have their phone out at work," she said.
"Many are not even allowed to have their phone on them during working hours."
Push for consultation defeated
Coun. Francis said he took two calls from people who called the time change political gerrymandering.
"That's absolutely not what this is but the fact that some people have that idea out in the public is alone enough for me of a risk to stand back, push the brakes and let's consult," he said, adding direction and questions need to come from the public.
Francis took issue with moving the time to an even earlier start from the staff recommendation of 1 p.m., and it not being up for debate during the meeting.
"We're going from 1 o'clock now to 10 o'clock? No one's even talked about 10 o'clock," he said.
Ward 9 Coun. Kieran McKenzie said council is attempting to make city hall more accessible and this decision goes against that process.
"We make the meeting less accessible and we save zero dollars," he said.
Ward 6 Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac, the longest serving member of council, said it was time for change.
"I'm not opposed to trying a new method," she said.
"We are never going to land on a time that is going to be acceptable for everyone, so let's try to move forward."