The agenda for the forthcoming Langford Council meeting has Bylaws 1200 and 1201 going ahead to adoption, despite the legal quagmire surrounding the public hearing.
As Inside Langford reported after the meeting, there were many problems associated with the meeting. Another citizen contributed additional concerns about the ability of the public to hear and contribute during the public hearing. These problems are not mere procedural issues, but inherent problems such as the fact that not everyone who showed up to participate in the public hearing could even fit in the room, let alone hear and participate. Normally that would mean that it would be adjourned to another day and time once a larger venue had been procured, so that everyone in the community who wanted to participate could do so. This fact was pointed out during the meeting, but the public hearing was allowed to go ahead by Deputy Mayor Blackwell despite the fact that not everyone there could meaningfully participate.
Since public hearings are considered quasi-judicial in nature, they are held to a much higher standard Read the rest of this entry »
