Strathcona Regional District directors are considering taking their board meetings on the road.
The concept of combining board meetings with road trips to various communities within the regional district was first discussed at the April 23 municipal directors meeting.
“The discussion at the committee suggested that holding board meetings throughout the region could have a number of beneficial spin-offs and should be considered as a regular feature of the meeting calendar, perhaps on a semi-annual basis,” wrote Tom Yates, corporate services manager of the regional district, in a report to the board.
The initiative was brought forward to the entire regional district board at its Wednesday meeting and directors voted to have staff bring back a report on the costs and logistics associated with holding regional board meetings in locations throughout the region.
Meetings are currently held once every two weeks in Campbell River, at the regional district offices on Cedar Street.
While Campbell River is the largest community within the Strathcona Regional District, the municipalities of Gold River, Tahsis, Zeballos, and Sayward, as well as electoral Area A (Kyuquot/Nootka-Sayward), Area B (Cortes Island), Area C (Quadra and Discovery Islands), and Area D (Oyster Bay-Buttle Lake) also lie within the regional district.
If the board does decide to go ahead with the road trip concept, some of those communities may take turns hosting a regional district meeting.
Area B Director Noba Anderson said she was “in full support” of having staff look into the feasibility of holding board meetings in different locations and said she recalled having a similar idea identified as a board strategic priority several years ago.
While the board will wait until staff come back with a feasibility report before making a decision, Yates was able to tell directors that there are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration.
“From an administrative perspective, there are a number of financial and logistical considerations associated with the concept, including travel arrangements for directors and staff, access to electronic agendas, and the remoteness of some communities,” Yates wrote. Staff’s report to the board will include a detailed analysis of those issues which directors will be able to take into consideration before making a final decision.