St. Stephen council leaves decision on public comment to next council.

Councillors in St. Stephen considered three options for public participation at meetings, including limits on recording and written submissions only, and decided to defer any change until the council elected in May.

St. Stephen councillors discussed proposed revisions to the public comment period at a recent meeting. The options were drafted by chief administrative officer Jeff Renaud and included allowing pre-registered spoken comments while banning filming, accepting written submissions only, or keeping the current two-minute, pre-registered speaking slots. The debate followed public scrutiny tied to local issues such as homelessness, a shelter location and housing availability. Councillors ultimately chose not to adopt changes and left the decision to the next council, to be elected in May. Key facts: - Councillors reviewed three draft options for public participation prepared by CAO Jeff Renaud. - One draft would have allowed pre-registered public comment and made it illegal for members of the public to film or record meetings. - A second draft would have limited input to written submissions distributed to councillors but not necessarily made public or addressed at meetings. - A third draft would have kept the existing system of two-minute, pre-registered spoken comments on relevant topics. - Councillors voted to defer any policy change and passed the matter to the incoming council after the May election. - Municipal politics expert Geoff Martin and local residents expressed concerns about accessibility, accountability and the role of recorded meetings. Summary: The council discussion illustrated tension between councillors seeking different feedback mechanisms and community members who value public access and recorded meetings. The CAO noted possible legal implications for any policy change and said the drafts were discussion items rather than formal recommendations. With councillors deferring action, the incoming council elected in May will be the body to consider next steps. Undetermined at this time.