Below is a letter that was addressed to Doug Lagore, Spruce Grove's City Manager. The letter speaks for itself but it does address an issue that affects us all.

To: Spruce Grove City Administration
Attn: Doug Lagore – City Manager

I would like to voice my concern about a situation that has recently cast doubt on the transparency of the City of Spruce Grove’s Administration and Spruce Grove’s City Council.

On Sept 14th 2009 I brought the following question, the contents of which also indicate the events that have recently transpired up until that date, to the City Council meeting:

“Mr. Mayor and Council members; I would like thank you for your time and efforts in advance.

My name is Gehres Weed, long time resident of 125 McLeod Ave. Spruce Grove.

On July 13th 2009, I had in passing asked a Council member the same question I asked the clerks manning the front desk down stairs, both responses were the same. Their reply was that they did not know, but would be kind enough to look into it and get back to me with an answer.

At that time, I was in the process of launching a website dedicated to creating an open dialog for local residents to voice their opinions and thoughts regarding local affairs. The official launch date is slated for later this fall.

Since City Council meetings are open to the public I felt this was a good place to start to gather topics of interest

It was apparent that my note taking skills and memory might not be up to the task of rendering an absolute accurate account of these open meetings.

Now since two months have passed without a reply I thought it time ask again.

So in a spirit of openness and in the interest of accurate accounting, my question was and is again; can audio recordings of these open council meetings be made by the general public?

Thank you.” – Gehres Weed

Council deferred my question to City administration staff, indicating once again that someone else would respond. What is perplexing is that Council had voted unanimously for all three reading of bylaw C-715-09 on August 17th 2009, which deals with third-party recordings. This item was added to the agenda at the start of the August 17th meeting by Doug Lagore. Even though it was voted upon in the open session, its contents were not made public and it was not debated. I attained a copy of it September 15th 2009 by requesting a copy at City Hall.

The operative section of Bylaw C-715-09 states: “18.1 No third party recordings of Council, Committee of the Whole, or Council Committee proceedings will be allowed, except as approved by the City Manager.”

What is of concern is that City Council passed this bylaw which impacts citizens directly and Council has not made any effort to notify the public. Fines for members of the public could potentially result for those of us who unwittingly record Council meetings without knowledge of the newly passed bylaw. Moreover, the unknown way in which Council has proceeded with this bylaw and their apparent reluctance to respond to my repeated inquiries seems undemocratic and cause for concern, raising questions about the behaviour of our municipal government in general.

Any information you could give me regarding this issue would be greatly appreciated. Attached are links and or copies of all available associated documents.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Gehres Weed 125 Mcleod Ave. Spruce Grove, Alberta T7X 2k6 780-962-6705

August 17th Council meeting AgendaAugust

Minutes of the August 17th Council Meeting

September 14th Council Meeting Agenda