Roles & Duties of Caledon Council

Elected officials have clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Council should be evaluated on how they perform their tasks as described by the Municipal Act.

Council Roles
The Municipal Act 2001, Part VI – Practices and Procedures Sections 224 and 225 states as follows:
Section 224. It is the role of council:
• to represent the public and to consider the well-being and interests of the municipality;
• to develop and evaluate the policies and programs of the municipality;
• to determine which services the municipality provides;
• to ensure that administrative practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of council;
• to maintain the financial integrity of the municipality; and
• to carry out the duties of council under this or any other Act.

Section 225. It is the role of the head of council:
• to act as chief executive officer of the municipality;
• to preside over council meetings;
• to provide leadership to the council;
• to represent the municipality at official functions; and
• to carry out the duties of the head of council under this or any other Act.

Council Duties
• Sit as a member of Council, which meet on Tuesdays. The Town of Caledon typically holds Council during the day with Committee and Public Information meetings during evening hours. One Council Meeting a month is scheduled to account for matters and delegates to be heard in the evening. The length of a Council meeting varies and typically runs a minimum of 4 hours. This does not include the reading of agenda material. The 2010 Council schedule can be found on the Town website at www.caledon.ca. (2010 Election button). These meeting dates may be changed by Council resolution.
• The Mayor, on an as-needed basis, can call special meetings of Council.
• A Councillor may be required to assume the duties of Acting Mayor, on a rotational basis.
• A member of Council will serve as a Council appointee to various Boards and Committees at both the local and regional level. In many instances, citizens also serve on these committees. Examples of such appointments include Heritage Caledon, Accessibility Advisory Committee, Economic Development Advisory Committee, Audit Committee, Environmental Advisory Committee, Agricultural Advisory Committee. The time these meetings are held varies and the 2010 Committee schedule can be found on the Town website. These meetings average duration are 2 to 3 hours and are held during the day or evening.