Council
Regular Council meetings are open to the public and are normally held on the first Tuesday of every month at 9:00 am and the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm in Council Chambers, at the Township Office, located at 312915 Dereham Line, Mount Elgin, ON.
The Township has returned to in-person/hybrid meetings held at the Township Office, in Council Chamber, unless posted otherwise. Council meetings are also broadcast live on the Township's YouTube channel.
(s. 224 of the Municipal Act, 2001):
- To represent the public, and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality.
- To develop and evaluate the policies and programs of the municipality.
- To determine which services the municipality provides.
- To ensure that administrative policies, practices, and procedures; and controllership policies, practices and, procedures are in place to implement the decisions of Council.
- To maintain the financial integrity of the municipality.
- To carry out the duties of Council under this or any other Act.
(s. 224 of the Municipal Act, 2001):
- To represent the public, and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality.
- To develop and evaluate the policies and programs of the municipality.
- To determine which services the municipality provides.
- To ensure that administrative policies, practices, and procedures; and controllership policies, practices, and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of Council.
- To maintain the financial integrity of the municipality.
- To carry out the duties of council under this or any other Act.
Township Council consists of the Mayor and Councillors, one from each of the Township’s six Wards. Councillors are elected by a vote of residents in their Ward while the Mayor, also referred to as the Head of Council, is elected Township-wide.
Members of Council are elected by residents to a four-year term of office, with the present Township Council's term ending in November of 2026. Council acts as South-West Oxford's decision-making body and Councillors in the municipality play three main roles: a representative role, a policy making role, and a stewardship role. Decisions of the municipality are made by Council as a whole. Generally, the Head of Council does not have any more power than any other member of Council to make decisions on behalf of the municipality as decisions of Council are made by consensus.
The elected Council represents the public and considers the well-being and interests of the Township on a range of matters such as roads, emergency services, building and structures, by-law enforcement, administration, licensing, property taxes, winter maintenance, and economic development. Council develops and determines which services the municipality provides and carries out the duties of Council under the Municipal Act and other provincial legislation.
Learn more about the Councillors here.
If you have a concern or need a decision of Council on a particular matter, you have the right to appear as a delegation at a meeting with Councillors to discuss your concerns.
If you have a concern about something happening in the Township, contact Township Staff to discuss the issue before registering as a delegation. Some concerns can be addressed by staff without having to go to Council for a decision and may lead to more rapid resolution of your concerns.
If your issue cannot be resolved by staff, staff can then advise you of the next steps to address your concerns, which may include appearing before Council.
Anyone who wishes to make a presentation to Council is required to complete a Delegation Request Form. If there are multiple delegates wishing to address an issue, the Clerk may encourage them to select one spokesperson to present their views within the allotted time frame. Any documentation to be presented should be delivered to the Township by the Wednesday prior to the meeting for inclusion in the distributed Council Agenda package. Please note that correspondence intended for Council is generally received as public information which is subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Any person submitting correspondence shall advise the Clerk of any confidential items and the general nature of the confidentiality.
Delegations are generally scheduled for up to 15 minutes. Following parliamentary rules of procedure, as a delegation, you should not speak disrespectfully of any person, use offensive words, speak on any subject other than the subject for which you have received approval, disobey any decision of the Mayor, or enter into cross debate with other delegations, staff, or Members of Council.
Complete a Delegation Request Form Online.