Request to Appear Before Council

What is a Delegation? 

A delegation is the formal term for an individual or group who appear before Council (or a Council Committee) in order to:

  • make a presentation on a matter that is of broad interest and that falls within the jurisdiction of the County;
  • request for action;
  • bring Council up to date on a project, idea, or concept; or
  • provide further information on an issue currently before the Council for a decision.

You may request the opportunity to speak a Council meeting by completing a Delegation Request Form. 

Please note, that a delegation request form is not required in order to speak at a public hearing.

What is the Process? 

  1. Submit the completed Delegation Request Form to the Executive Assistant no later than the Monday of the week preceding the regular Council meeting at which you are requesting to appear. 
  2. Click here for information on the Council meeting schedule. 
  3. You may submit your completed Delegation Request Form the following ways:
  4. Your request will be directed to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for approval and scheduling. Not all delegation requests will be approved. In some cases your request may be directed to a Council Committee or to Administration. Delegations are scheduled at the discretion of the CAO, subject to:
    • the volume of material on any given agenda;
    • the number of requests for a specific meetings date and urgency of request; and/or
    • subject matter.
  5. The Executive Assistant will contact you with the decision of your request. If your request is approved, you will be provided with further details including the meeting time and date. Meeting proceedings, presentation materials and equipment can be discussed at this time.
  6.  If you will be providing supporting documentation, such as a PowerPoint presentation or handouts, you must submit the documents no later than noon on the Wednesday prior to the meeting if it is to be included in the agenda. Note: distributed documents become part of the public record.

For more information, the process is outlined in the Procedures Bylaw 1177/23.

Please be aware that due to the public nature of Council and Committee meetings, any communication directed to a Councillor or Clearwater County staff member may become part of the public record and will be released/published in the agenda and minutes that are available to the public in a variety of methods.

Clearwater County is committed to safeguarding sensitive personal information that may be included in such correspondence, such as personal financial or health-related details. In such instances, a redacted record or a summary of the inquiry or complaint may be prepared for presentation during the council meeting to ensure privacy.  

Tips for Addressing Council

Submit written information early!

  • Deadline: Noon Monday prior to the meeting.
  • Meeting agenda packages are distributed on the Thursday afternoon preceding the meeting so that Council has time to thoroughly review their information and prepare questions before the meeting. Provide a copy of your presentation by the Monday morning one week prior to the meeting, to the Executive Assistant.

Structure your Presentation

Introduce yourself and briefly describe your relationship to the issue. For example, you may be representing a group or you may live in or near an area where a problem is occurring.

  1. State your topic. If you are requesting action to address a certain issue, describe the issue and the action you wish Council to take. If you are requesting funding, clearly state the amount and purpose of funding.
  2. Provide background information when appropriate. For instance, you may want to talk about how long the issue has been going on or how you or your organization has been affected. For funding requests, it is a good idea to provide your budget information and other revenue you have or are pursuing.

If you are asking for funding or to solve a problem, Council will base their decision on value for the community, available budget and/or available staffing. Some things to consider are:

  1. Do you have support from a sector of the community? With limited resources available, Council is likely to concentrate on issues with a broad appeal.
  2. Does your request fit in with Council’s strategic priorities? If it does, there may be some room in the budget and staff allocation to accommodate your request. Councils Strategic plan is available here. 

Persons appearing before Council as a delegation should be aware of the following matters of protocol:

  • Address Council members as “Reeve <surname>”, “Deputy Reeve <surname>” and “Councillor <surname>”.
  • All responses to Council or staff should be addressed through the Reeve.

Upon completion of your presentation, Council may ask questions if they wish clarification on any points raised.

If you are unsure who you should be speaking with, please feel free to contact our office and you will be directed to the correct department. For more information about appearing before Council contact the Legislative Services Assistant at 403-846-4021 or jthomson@clearwatercounty.ca.