Saskatoon police board members will now serve two-year terms
Members were previously appointed to single-year terms.
Article content
Members of Saskatoon’s board of police commissioners, the body that provides oversight of the city police force’s governance, will now be appointed to two-year terms.
City council approved an amendment bylaw at its Dec. 19 meeting that changes the police commission bylaw to lengthen the terms of members, excluding the mayor. Previously, members were appointed for single-year terms, to a maximum of six years. Terms had been set at a single year since 1978.
Council also appointed Coun. Hilary Gough and Coun. Zach Jeffries to continue as members of council on the board to the end of 2023.
The board’s 2022 chair, Jo Custead, and vice-chair Kearney Healy were also reappointed to serve as citizen board members through the end of 2023. Both were first appointed in 2018. Citizen board members Shirley Greyeyes and Brent Penner have been reappointed to the end of 2024; both were first appointed in 2021.
Last June, the board and the city’s governance and priorities committee held a joint meeting where they considered a brief administration report stating that the police commission was interested in having their appointment terms be two years instead of one. The discussion centred on the “need for continuity of Board members and certainty of membership for major initiatives.”
The report noted that other boards and city committees that appoint members at large have two-year terms, such as the controlled corporations and the Saskatoon Library Board.
An October 2022 decision report to council stated that the board’s reasons for interest in the longer term included “continuity, succession planning, training, knowing it takes time to get to know the work of the police and trends.”
The city administration found that in Regina, members serve one-year terms with a maximum of nine consecutive years and an option to serve longer at the will of council; in Prince Albert, members serve two-year terms with no maximum term limit; in Moose Jaw, members are appointed to one-year terms to a maximum of five consecutive years.
The administration found there would be no financial or other implications for extending the terms to two years.
The appointment of a chair and vice-chair for 2023 is on the police commission’s agenda for its Thursday meeting.
The news seems to be flying at us faster all the time. From COVID-19 updates to politics and crime and everything in between, it can be hard to keep up. With that in mind, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox to help make sure you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.