Vernon City Hall
(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)
March 23, 2020 - 1:48 PM
The City of Vernon has voted to suspend all future council meetings, although it is still going ahead with its meeting today.
Vernon councillor Kari Gares told iNFOnews.ca council voted this morning, March 23, to suspend all future meetings and give Mayor Victor Cumming the power to call special meetings in the future if and when needed.
While Gares acknowledged there had been pressure on social media to cancel the meeting it was not that straight forward.
"The only way for council (meetings) to be postponed or delayed is through the direction of council, which would require council to actually show up to have that directive," Gares said. "The mayor can not unilaterally decide by himself cancel, postpone or delay a council meeting, which is one of the reasons we're here."
Gares said councillors Scott Anderson, Dalvir Nahal and Kelly Fehr were not present at this morning's meeting. Gares said the meeting still achieved quorum so it could proceed.
She said this afternoon's meeting was still scheduled to take place.
"It's imperative that we gather today and we go through those things and we make motions that are not necessarily on this agenda," she said. Gares didn't say what these motions were likely to be.
Gares said she could not confirm whether a public hearing scheduled for 5:30 p.m. today would go ahead or not.
The City of Kelowna is also going ahead today with its regular council meeting and even added an in-person news conference to the day's agenda.
Mayor Cumming did not return our calls.
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