Having voted to hold a town hall meeting later this month, Wellesley council is still working out the details.
The event, scheduled following public protest against the 2023 budget and a 14 per cent tax hike, is set for 7 p.m. on April 26 at the Linwood Community Centre.
Staff released a poster about the event last week, saying that people can submit their questions ahead of time through the online portal at www.wellesley.ca to ensure their questions are addressed.
The deadline to submit questions is 4:30 p.m. on Monday (April 17).
“Questions and/or comments are to be within the topic of the 2023 budget and tax increase as stated in the approved resolution of council,” reads the poster released by the township.
The meeting will also be livestreamed on the township’s YouTube channel.
The final hurdle appears to be finding a moderator for the event.
Staff are looking for a moderator who is neither a resident or a staff member who has experience with this kind of meeting.
At last week’s council meeting, staff said they could only find potential moderators willing to do the work for quotes of $750 to $2,000. Calling the pricing too expensive, they’re looking for other solutions.
“We are continuing to explore options. A moderator would be experienced in public meetings with a demonstrated ability to control the decorum of the meeting,” said Grace Kosch, the township clerk.
“A powerful moderator communicates clearly and concisely, using straightforward language without being confrontational or biased. Their job is to ensure the speakers and audience members understand each other, creating a positive and productive atmosphere.”
