According to the Manning Foundation for Democratic Education, an uphill battle against mounting piles of research documents has created a need for additional staff for Calgary’s 14 councillors and Mayor Naheed Nenshi to ensure they are adequately prepared for meetings.
On Wednesday morning, the organization released its Calgary City Council Workload Report containing its findings into the staggering amount of paperwork each councillor faces.
According to the conservative think tank’s report, councillors are expected to read approximately 500 hours of background materials each year, an average of 18.5 hours of preparation for each council meeting.
Preston Manning, the president and CEO of the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, says the abundance of paperwork is the result of policies which have not adapted to the pace of a rapidly growing city.
“We still have structures and processes that were designed when the city was much smaller and it's grown and grown,” said Manning, “but we haven't made much change in the structures and processes.”
The report suggests the City of Calgary hires an additional staff member for each councillor to assist with research and meeting preparation.
