Setting aside sufficient time to prepare for the meeting, pursuing additional information and consulting with stakeholders within the community is essential. It is recommended that for ordinary council meetings, members allocate specific preparation time in their diaries once meeting dates have been set. Good time management practices and habits for elected members, such as the following, will assist their meeting preparation: develop a system for filing of the e-mails, agendas, reports, and correspondence received for ease of access, recovery, and regular review for archival or disposal; prioritise what needs to be read, responded to, followed up, and scheduled into the diary; and arrange with the CEO for training in skill development courses, such as speed reading, public speaking, meeting procedure, record keeping or time management. 5.2 Closed council or committee meetings Most council and committee meetings to which a local government power or duty has been delegated, will be open to the public. However section 5.23(2) of the Act states that a local government may resolve that a meeting or part of the meeting be closed to the public, only if its elected members consider it necessary to deal with any of the following reasons: a matter affecting an employee or employees; the personal affairs of any person; a contract entered into, or which may be entered into, by the local government and which relates to a matter to be discussed at the meeting; legal advice obtained, or which may be obtained, by the local government and which relates to a matter to be discussed at the meeting; a matter that if disclosed, would reveal — a trade secret; or information that has a commercial value to a person; or
Setting aside sufficient time to prepare for the meeting, pursuing additional information and consulting with stakeholders within the community is essential. It is recommended that for ordinary council meetings, members allocate specific preparation time in their diaries once meeting dates have been set. Good time management practices and habits for elected members, such as the following, will assist their meeting preparation: develop a system for filing of the e-mails, agendas, reports, and correspondence received for ease of access, recovery, and regular review for archival or disposal; prioritise what needs to be read, responded to, followed up, and scheduled into the diary; and arrange with the CEO for training in skill development courses, such as speed reading, public speaking, meeting procedure, record keeping or time management. 5.2 Closed council or committee meetings Most council and committee meetings to which a local government power or duty has been delegated, will be open to the public. However section 5.23(2) of the Act states that a local government may resolve that a meeting or part of the meeting be closed to the public, only if its elected members consider it necessary to deal with any of the following reasons: a matter affecting an employee or employees; the personal affairs of any person; a contract entered into, or which may be entered into, by the local government and which relates to a matter to be discussed at the meeting; legal advice obtained, or which may be obtained, by the local government and which relates to a matter to be discussed at the meeting; a matter that if disclosed, would reveal — a trade secret; or information that has a commercial value to a person; or
Guide_to_Meetings.docx