Weyburn City Council’s meeting Monday night was one of the shortest in recent memory, clocking in at just over eight minutes. With only two items up for discussion on the agenda, both requests for special occasion permits, the speed of the meeting stood in contrast to the usual pace of municipal business.
Council approved requests from the Weyburn Renegades Fastball Club and the Weyburn Agricultural Society to apply for special occasion permits from the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority. The permits are for events this summer, including the Borderline Men’s Fastball League tournament, running from July 18th to 20th, and Weyburn Fair Days, scheduled for July 3rd to 5th.
Despite the short agenda, Mayor Jeff Richards emphasized the importance of holding regular meetings.
“It’s important that we continue with procedure,” Richards said. “Even if there isn't a lot on the agenda, it’s important we come together. It’s important for Council to have those interactions with the public for sure, but also with the administration.”
He noted that these meetings ensure the city remains responsive, especially if issues arise between scheduled sessions.
“We always have to keep business going, and we want to remain current. So if something should pop up unexpectedly, at least Council's coming together regularly, so administration knows when they can get something in front of us.”
Richards added that the light agenda could be a sign of efficient administration.
“One of the challenges always with any level of government is making sure that we’re not in the way of administration getting things done on a day-to-day basis,” he explained. “We want to make sure that we have a confidence that the city’s running fairly smoothly, so not everything has to come to City Council.”
While this week’s meeting was short, Richards expects future agendas, particularly over the summer months, to be more robust.
“This is pretty rare to be as short as we were tonight,” he noted. “Most times, administration has lots for us to approve, and that’s good, because that means they’re working hard.”