Bayshore Broadcasting News has learned South Bruce Peninsula is headed towards to a different voting system in the next municipal election — and there will be less Councillors.
John Close says staff has been instructed to prepare a bylaw calling for future councils to consist of five people — a mayor, deputy mayor and three councillors — all elected at large.
Close says the decision is based on public input from a June 30th meeting on what electors wanted to see.
As it stands now, South Bruce Peninsula has four wards with two councillors from each being elected.
There is no deputy mayor and the mayor is the only one being elected at large.
Close says the at-large system has it’s advantages in that the ward system can result in representatives being interested only in their ward with no regard on how any decision might affect the rest of the municipality.
The new system, which is scheduled to come into effect with the 2014 municipal election, will mean elected officials will really have to do their homework to make sure that what they are passing is not a detriment to other parts of the region.
Council is currently a nine-person body.
During the last election campaign — most successful candidates indicated they wanted to see the at-large voting system by time the 2014 vote rolled around.