Modernizing City Council Meetings

From left to right: Diane Kanak, Paul Ottmann, Yvonne Brooks, Shellie Bryant, Penny Walter, Maurice Vold (back), Joanne Sproule, Holly Thompson, Joyce Fast, Debby Sackmann , Janice Hudson

Did you know that at least 700 reports are created at the City of Saskatoon each year?

Part of the City Clerk’s Office role is to manage City Council and Committee services and processes which includes report approvals, agenda and minute preparation and distribution, and meeting management.  It’s essential that the agendas and minutes are produced in accordance with legislation and that Council and Committee meetings are conducted in a transparent way under the direction of the City Clerk. 

Recently the City Clerk's office introduced new software which has streamlined the management of meetings including live video streaming and file sharing all through the one program. The end result is a much more efficient administrative and approval process internally and for citizens, they can now see a complete meeting all in one place on the City’s website. 

"The time and effort it has taken to bring this project to fruition has been significant but the results have been really worth it," says City Clerk Joanne Sproule. "It really has modernized the way we do things. We have received positive feedback both internally and externally for this project. " 

Agendas and minutes are in such a format that you can view what is on the agenda, click on an item you are interested in and see any attachments, a video of the meeting, and even choose different resolution options. Video indexing assists citizens, employees and Council members to more easily locate a discussion on a particular matter before City Council or Committee. It also allows you to watch the meeting live from the comfort of your own home or from anywhere you have internet access. 

"What I learned from implementing this project is it really does take a village," says Deputy City Clerk Shellie Bryant. "It was truly a collaborative effort across all areas of the organization working towards achieving our goal of making the business of City Council more accessible to our citizens."

Clerks