Barrie’s Next Council Could Have a Deputy Mayor
Today's Council Laying Ground Rules on Appointing a Deputy Mayor For Future Terms
Someone elected to Barrie’s next council is going to get deputized. Barrie City Hall is laying the groundwork of appointing an official Deputy Mayor position for next term’s council, instead of sharing the role among themselves.
The staff report presented Monday night lays out how city staff think the role should be filled, with council agreeing on a method to look into for next term: the mayor of the day would recommend two candidates among sitting councillors, with all ten around the table then voting on who gets the gig. Council Monday night decided added duties associated with being Deputy Mayor was worth an extra $5,000/year on top of the average council salary.
Right now, every new term of council begins a new, appointing councillors on month-to-month basis to the role of Acting Mayor. Each councillor over their term would typically serve as Acting Mayor four or five times. The staff report indicates the role of Acting Mayor has evolved from just filling in for the Mayor during meetings, now attending events and signing official documentation in the absence of the Mayor. Barrie is one of five similar municipalities that make use of a rotating Acting Mayor position, including Milton, Burlington, and Guelph.
