Tension Over Speaking Limits as Resident Challenges Owen Sound Council on Failure to Respond to Questions
A resident’s questions about a $400,000 fire truck budget and lack of a response from city officials led to a tense exchange over Owen Sound’s three-minute public question period limit.
Public frustration over Owen Sound’s limits on question period surfaced Monday as resident Ken Jones clashed with council over time restrictions and unanswered correspondence.
During the October 6 meeting, Jones attempted to raise concerns about city spending and communication, including questions about the cost of a used aerial fire truck purchased from the United States.
“I corresponded with the mayor, the city manager and the fire chief after the letter in front of me. I’ve asked them to respond by a certain date. They never responded to any of my concerns,” Jones told city council.
“I even sent them an email which said, you have a concern with public input — yes or no — are you going to respond to my letter? Nobody sent a reply,” he added.
Jones said it wasn’t the first time he’d been disappointed in his attempts to ask questions of his elected representatives.
“I previously stood at this podium to discuss the high taxes in Owen Sound. That appearance was quite a negative experience. I was interrupted several times during my presentation, starting at the two-minute [mark] … the actions of the chair were such that a number of local residents contacted me [and] expressed serious concerns about what had taken place,” he said.
Jones was mentioned in our coverage of Owen Sound’s 2024 budget deliberations. In January 2024, he attempted to address council at the public budget meeting.
“If people go online, there have been 23 letters sent in by taxpayers to give their comments about the proposed budget. I trust that the Mayor and council have all read them and probably detected that there are some common threads. One is that most people do not want this budget approved,” he said at the time, adding that, “Council and the Mayor have not been very receptive to any input from taxpayers.”
On Monday, his remarks echoed that earlier frustration, suggesting that despite new procedural rules, the sense of distance between council and residents remains.
As Jones spoke, Mayor Ian Boddy interjected to remind him of the three-minute limit. Councillor Travis Dodd called a point of order to enforce the rule.
“We have a three-minute allotment, which we have gone through,” Councillor Travis Dodd said in raising the point of order. “If you want council to hear what you have to say, I’d probably highlight on those points.”
Mayor Ian Boddy upheld the point of order, saying, “Council approved a bylaw to allow people to speak in the public meeting for three minutes. You’re over that three minutes … I’m going to start the timer now. I’m going to give you two more. No, sorry, Ken, I’m chairing this meeting. Thank you.”
The mayor restarted the timer, granting Jones three additional minutes.
When Council approved the three-minute limit in September 2024, it replaced the previous five-minute allowance and capped the total public question period at fifteen minutes per meeting.
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The change was part of a broader update to the city’s Procedural Bylaw that also gives the mayor, city manager, and clerk discretion to determine which topics are permitted on meeting agendas.
What had previously been called Public Question Period was changed to “Public Forum,” a term that by standard definition means a place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.
However, under Owen Sound’s procedural bylaw, council is not required to respond to questions or comments raised during the forum.
Staff confirmed on Monday that the fire truck refurbishment is still underway, with final costs not yet known but capped at $400,000. Council did not respond to Jones’ comments or concerns about responsiveness to the public before moving on to the next agenda item.
Councillor Jon Farmer suggested the City improve communication about time limits to avoid future misunderstandings.
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Can we please have a question mark or an angry face instead of just a heart for a comment? I'd want both for this one.