Basic Building Blocks – Role and Responsibilities of Council

The Conference Board of Canada offers a framework for principle-based governance for boards of directors which has relevance in considering the questions posed in a previous post ( Basic Building Blocks):

• How should Council express its relationship with the Community (taxpayers) and City Hall (city employees)?
• How should Council be accountable for its leadership role and deliver results to the Community?
• How should Council execute its oversight role of City Hall? 

I know.  Many people find this type of work so very, very boring – especially the media.  No catchy headlines here.  Yet, this is foundational to Council doing its job and doing it well. 

Leadership and stewardship

• Ensuring strategic direction and planning
• Planning for succession and renewal
• Overseeing risk management

Empowerment and accountability

• Delegating authority
• Allocating responsibilities
• Establishing effective accountability mechanisms

Communication and Transparency

• Determining information flows
• Communicating with all community stakeholders
• Reporting to the community (taxpayers) and others

 Service and Fairness

• Setting an example in corporate social responsibility
• Providing ethical leadership
• Promoting environmental sustainability

 Accomplishment and Measurement

• Monitoring and overseeing City Hall (city employees)
• Selecting performance measures
• Evaluating Council and the CAO

 Continuous learning and growth

• Promoting a culture of innovation and change
• Developing executives and employees
• Training members of Council