Small municipalities debate reducing council seat
Djeneba Dosso
Local Journalism Initiative
MRC Pontiac – Following the adoption of a new Quebec law allowing municipalities with populations under 2,000 to reduce their councils from six to four seats, small towns across the province are now weighing their options. Small municipalities who’ve expressed difficulty in recruiting and retaining councillors will now be allowed to downsize after next year’s election. The rule change request has been “recurrent”, according to the president of the Fédération québécoise des municipalités, Jacques Demers.
Fort-Coulonge is among the municipalities planning to adopt the new rule going into their next election. The village currently has six councillors, who are all very good and bring their own ideas to the table, according to Mayor Christine Francoeur. “But we find we have so many expenses, and I think four councillors will be plenty,” she added, noting the decision isn’t just about money. She believes a smaller team will allow for more fluid conversations, decision-making and action.
“We’ll still be discussing a lot, but there may be less opinions around the table, so we’ll be able to get the work done faster,” she said. Francoeur also believes the decision will result in more candidates. “We might end up with two councillors going head-to-head for one seat; who knows. I think it will result in more competition.”
The village put out a notice of motion followed by a public meeting on October 9. A few residents had questions, but no one opposed the idea. During their next meeting on November 6, the motion will be voted on.
In Rapides-des-Joachims, which has had a council of four members for the past twelve years, Mayor Lucie Rivet Paquette says it all comes down to efficient communication and “everyone knowing what they’re doing.”
“For Rapides, I think four seats is perfect,” she said. “We used to have six, but it was hard finding candidates, so it’s better to have only four.”
Mme Rivet Paquette noted they’ve implemented a new system for councillors to communicate through a group chat. The small number of people in the chat makes conversations easy, eliminating long emails and adopting a more effective means of communication. “We work very hard together. We talk a lot in our group chat, so when we have a meeting, we already know what we have to do and discuss. It’s going very well,” she added, encouraging municipalities to try the model.
She warns that without effective communication and a solid foundation, reducing council seats could be ineffective.
“I recommend it, but sometimes it can be difficult. When you’re only 4, if it’s 2 against 2, the mayor has to make the last decision, for example,” she said. “If you downsize to four councillors and they can’t work accordingly, you can’t reverse the law.” She advises each municipality to consider their workloads, responsibilities, projections and plans for the upcoming year and whether it can be accomplished by four councillors before deciding.
Municipalities wanting to reduce their seats from six to four have until the end of December to pass a resolution to that effect.
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