Legislative History: Adopted November 28, 2017 (By-law No. CPOL.-231-555); Amended July 24, 2018 (By-law No. CPOL.-231(a)-429); Amended July 25, 2023 (By-law No. CPOL.-231(b)-212)
Last Review Date: July 25, 2023
Service Area Lead: City Clerk
1. Policy Statement
1.1 This policy establishes the responsibilities and procedures for establishing and maintaining Council policies, including making Council policies available to Council, Civic Administration and the public in order to promote accountability, transparency, and openness.
2. Definitions
2.1 Administrative Practice or Procedure – shall mean an internal practice or procedure used by City of London employees to carry out the City’s day-to-day business operations.
2.2 Corporate or City-Wide significance – shall mean a policy that impacts all or the majority of service areas or could impact a significant number of City of London residents.
2.3 Council Policy – shall mean a policy adopted by Council that provides high level direction to guide the actions of the City in carrying out its business operations.
2.4 Council Policy Manual – shall mean a consolidation of policies that have been adopted by Council.
2.5 Service Area Lead – shall mean the City of London staff person primarily responsible for the development and maintenance of a Council policy.
2.6 Service Area Head – shall mean the City of London department head to whom the Service Area Lead reports.
2.7 Strategic Leadership Team – shall mean the group of City administrators assembled by the City Manager to provide senior administrative oversight of the business operations of the City.
3. Applicability
3.1 This Council policy applies to all policies recommended for adoption by and/or adopted by Council.
4. The Policy
4.1 Roles and Responsibilities
a) The Council is responsible for approving Council policies.
b) The City Clerk, or their designate, is responsible for maintaining and making available to Council, Civic Administration and the public, a current consolidation of Council policies.
c) The Service Area Lead is responsible for the development and maintenance of Council policies related to their respective business operations.
d) The Service Area Head is responsible for recommending any new policies, amendments to existing policies or policies for repeal, related to their respective business operations, for approval by Council.
4.2 Procedures
4.2.1 Developing, Amending or Repealing a Council Policy
a) Council or the Civic Administration may identify a matter for which they wish to establish a new Council policy, an existing Council policy which requires amendment, or a policy which needs to be repealed.
b) The appropriate Service Area Lead shall research, develop, and prepare proposed Council policies, proposed amendments to existing Council policies, or a proposed repeal of Council policies relevant to their business operations for the Service Area Head’s recommendation to Council for consideration, through the appropriate Standing Committee.
c) Council Policies that are being recommended for creation, amendment or repeal by the Civic Administration:
i) Must be recommended to the appropriate Standing Committee of Council by the Service Area Head.
ii) Must be reviewed by the Strategic Leadership Team for content and intent in the case of a policy with corporate and/or city-wide significance.
iii) Must be reviewed by the City Clerk, or their designate, for compliance with the provisions of this Policy.
iv) Must be reviewed using the Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Framework and Equity Tool, once training has been provided, no later than the 2025 Council Policy review.
4.2.2 Policy Template
Council policies shall be prepared using the following template:
Policy Name: (Council Policy Title)
Legislative History: (Provided by City Clerk’s Office)
Last Review Date: (Provided by the City Clerk’s Office based upon written notification by the Service Area Lead responsible for the maintenance of the Council policy)
Service Area Lead: (Title of the staff person responsible for the development and maintenance of the Council policy and the staff contact for information regarding the Council policy)
1. Policy Statement (states the objective of the Policy)
2. Definitions (if applicable)
3. Applicability (states who/what the Policy applies to)
4. The Policy
4.2.3 Publishing of Council Policies
The City Clerk, or their designate, shall be responsible for the retention and publication of Council policies.
4.2.4 Maintaining the Currency of Council Policies
It is the responsibility of Service Area Leads to maintain the currency of the Council policies that fall within their service area’s jurisdiction.
The City Clerk shall by January 31 of each calendar year ending in an odd number, send a written notice to each Service Area Lead, with a copy to the relevant Service Area Head, reminding them to ensure completion of their review of Council policies for which they have been designated responsibility, to ensure they continue to properly meet Council, corporate and other legislative requirements. This does not preclude any Service Area from being responsible for updating a policy prior to the review of all policies, should it become evident that a change in policy is required on a more immediate basis.
Service Area Leads shall:
a) Review all Council policies within their service area’s jurisdiction by no later than April 30 of each calendar year ending in an odd number.
b) Ensure application of the Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Framework and Equity Tool onall Council Policies for which they have been designated responsibility.
c) Ensure all Council Policies continue to properly meet Council, corporate and other legislative requirements.
d) Advise their Service Area Head of the findings from their review.
Service Area Heads shall:
a) Advise the City Clerk’s staff person specified in the City Clerk’s notice letter, of the date the review of the Council policies within their Service Area was completed, for those policies not requiring any change, so that review date can be reflected in the relevant policy.
b) Bring forward any recommendations for revisions to existing Council policies arising from the Service Area’s review by May 31 of each calendar year ending in an odd number, for consideration by the appropriate Standing Committee of Council. The review date for any policies recommended for change will be the date those changes are adopted or denied by the Municipal Council.