The City of Windsor wants to hear from the public on how city council meetings are scheduled and run.
The city has launched a survey to gather feedback on the scheduling of future meetings and general preferences for engagement and participation in the municipal decision-making process.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city council moved to virtual daytime meetings from evening meetings.
In December 2023, council voted 6-5 to move the start time to 10 a.m., with administration noting a savings in overtime costs when staff had to stay for evening meetings and the ability to provide a quicker resolution to any technical problems during daytime hours due to staff availability.
City Clerk Steve Vlachodimos says as part of the council's due diligence, they asked the administration to ask what people want before setting the next calendar.
"Not just the start time, but how do they participate? Is it through the traditional means of coming to a city council meeting in person, or do you prefer a platform of participating virtually or doing a written submission?," he says.
Vlachodimos says they want feedback from all age groups.
"Personally, what I'm looking for as city clerk, I want to be able to see what our youth want for the future so that we speak their language down the road and then we are equipped for that next generation in terms of how they communicate and what they see going forward," he says.
The Council Meeting Survey is now live and available to residents, stakeholders, and city staff until Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Click here to find the survey.
Feedback collected through the survey will help to inform a report that will be presented to the council outlining community perspectives on the potential impacts of any meeting schedule adjustments going forward.