Councils transact their business in meetings. Section 18 of the Local Government Act, as amended, stipulates that Councils should not meet more than twice a month. Council meetings are open to the public except when in the opinion of the Chairperson, or by resolution of Council, it is decided that the subject matter is confidential therefore the public should be excluded.
Technical officers ensure that Councillors have all the required information and materials to enable them to conduct Council business efficiently and effectively.
Committees are the practical tools with which Councils handle their affairs. Standing Committees are committees of Council which consider Council matters before they are put before Council. They also consider proposals from individual Councillors referred by Council. Standing Committees consider proposals and make recommendations to Councils. Local Government Councils have to elect Standing Committees they consider appropriate, in this case:
• finance and planning
• lands and environment
• social services
All the above committees have the power to access all necessary documents from Council. No financial matter not provided for in a Council budget can finally be dealt with without going through the finance committee.
Special Committees are set up by Council to inquire/investigate specific issues and report to Council under terms specified by Council. Members can be Councillors only or a mixture of Councillors and people from outside Council.
Joint committees are formed between two or more Councils to handle a matter of common interest. The co-operating Councils determine what powers and duties to delegate to the joint committee. Joint Committees are prohibited from raising loans, levying rates or imposing taxes.
Planning
Local authorities must prepare two plans every year, an Annual Plan and a Progress Report. The purpose of both is to check whether projects are appropriate and if targets are met.
Local councils have a statutory mandate to formulate bills and pass them into by-laws for the purpose of controlling and regulating matters which they are by law empowered to control and regulate.
Powers of Councils to make by-laws
Section 42 under part IV of the Local Governments Act 1997 gives every Council powers to “make, adopt with such modifications as circumstances may require, from time to time, such by-laws not inconsistent with the provisions of the Act, as may be authorised or required by the LGA, or appear to the Council to be necessary for the purpose of this exercise of its powers and the discharge of its duties under the LGA, and to amend, vary or rescind any by-law so made”.
The Council may make by-laws in respect of all or any of the following matters:
• land and property, including the regulation and management of places for public recreation
• public health and sanitation
• itinerant vendors, including supervision of licenses, regulation or prohibition of the sale of any article in any specified place
• thoroughfares, including the cleaning, watering and lighting of streets and use of and regulation of traffic in streets and thoroughfares including the weight and speed of vehicles and bridge, road or street or any place where such use may be attended with danger to the public, or may be likely to damage such bridge, road or street
• the prevention, abatement, supervision and regulation of obstructions, encroachments, projections and other interference
• the abatement of nuisance, including the regulation and control of the operation of loud speakers, amplifiers and other instruments automatically producing or reproducing sound
• the payment of any allowance to councillors.
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