Staff say this work will be completed in the third quarter of 2020, with a final report and recommendations to be presented to council by the following quarter.

However, under the province’s Municipal Act, ward boundary changes are subject to appeal through the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal within 45 days of council approvals.

City staff say that a year is being provided to accommodate for a potential appeal. If the appeal stretches past the end of 2021, then the new boundaries would not be in effect for the 2022 election.

Phase 3: Compensation and support

With a new council composition model approved and a new ward map on the table, the final step in the process would be to look at just how much the future council would be paid for its work.

The review, according to the staff report, would take a look at salaries, benefits, expense accounts, staff support, physical resources, training and development allocations, and financial supports.

This phase of the review will also be subject to review by a citizen’s committee.

Staff say this work will be completed in the first quarter of 2021, with a final report and recommendations to be presented to council by the following quarter.

For the first two phases of the review, the consultant(s) to eventually be brought on by the city will not be the only ones having any say, with the staff report noting “(s)ignificant, comprehensive and multifaceted community and stakeholder engagement is a requirement with Phase 1 and 2.”

There are plans for several open houses as part of the first two phases of the review.

When all is said and done, city staff estimate the review will cost $150,000, with those costs coming to council for approval during the 2020 budget process.

Monday's committee of the whole meeting gets started at 2 p.m. in council chambers at city hall.

Anyone wishing to speak to council at the meeting is asked to register as a delegation no later than 10 a.m. on Friday, June 28. To register, go online to guelph.ca/delegations, or get in touch with the city clerk’s office at 519-837-5603 or email clerks@guelph.ca.

Written comments can also be submitted to the city clerk’s office, also no later than 10 a.m. on June 28.