Council holds regular Councillor Briefing Sessions, generally on the first and third Mondays of each month. These meetings are of an informal nature during which time Council staff, and on occasions outside parties, provide Councillors with detailed information on matters that will, or are likely to, require a formal decision of Council sometime in the future.
The following are the key features of a Councillor Briefing Session (CBS):
a) A Councillor Briefing Session has no delegated authority to make decisions on Council’s behalf and no legally binding decisions are made in these forums. These forums are to provide Councillors with the opportunity to seek clarification, provide feedback on proposals and reports that will later come to council, receive updates and if necessary be provided with additional information on matters before Council. Council Officers may use these forums to advise Councillors and receive direction on issues for which they have delegate authority.
b) No formal minutes are recorded at Councillor Briefing Sessions; however attendances, apologies and non-attendance of Councillors will be recorded in regular summary reports presented to Council and on the Records of Assemblies Register maintained by the Chief Executive Officer and kept for a period of four (4) years.
c) A summary of all issues discussed at a Council Briefing Session is tabled to the next available Council Meeting.
d) Councillors, the Executive Team and senior staff attending the sessions are required to disclose Conflicts of Interest and the nature of the interest for matters discussed at the sessions. These will be recorded in the summary report to Council and on the Conflicts of Interest Register maintained by the Chief Executive Officer.