Gaps of information from discussions at the Mayor and City Council’s (M&CC) statutory meetings are often missing from the minutes of the meetings, Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan has observed.At the Council’s most recent meeting on Monday, Duncan referred to two “major” instances that were omitted from the meetings. This means that important information can be left out of the Council’s official records, Duncan noted.
But Town Clerk Royston King informed that the minutes of the meetings will not reflect verbatim what was discussed by councillors.
“The minutes should really reflect the decisions of the Council. Everything that is said by councillors will not be recorded.”
Councillor Akeem Peter suggested that the Council follows the pattern of Parliament and record verbatim what transpires during the meetings.
Another councillor Monica Thomas recommended that each councillor record the meeting on their phones or a voice recorder for their personal benefit.
Councillor Junior Garrett said he thinks the Council should go back to the days of video recording the meetings, but Mayor Chase-Green responded that this will come at a cost to Council.
Other Councillor Welton Clarke urged his fellow councillors to pay attention during the meetings and make notes.
The Mayor ended this discussion with saddling the responsibility of producing proper minutes on the administrative arm of the Council.