Welland city council is looking for community feedback as they consider reducing the number of council members to cut operational costs.
A report released in September outlined options to reduce the number of councillors by half, adding the mayor would then create a council of seven people.
Currently there are 12 councillors and the mayor that make up the council – two councillors for each of the six wards.
The cost of the 13 person city council is over $630,000 when factoring pensions, benefits and health taxes, according to the report.
The September report came after a notice of motion that council passed in April, to explore lowering costs by cutting the council size while maintaining effective governance.
The proposed reduction would save the community over $250,000.
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Welland’s councillor to citizen ratio is at 4,800 people per councillor and was flagged as an overrepresentation issue at a recent city council meeting.
St. Catharines also has 12 councillors but their population is more than double that of Welland, with a ratio of just over 11,000 people per councillor.
Community members are invited to participate in a survey now available on their website, which can also be found here.
Welland’s Director of Legislative Services Tara Stephens said in a media release, “council wants to ensure that any decision made about the composition of City Council reflects the needs and opinions of the community.”
Should the recommendation pass there would be a review of the ward makeup as well.
Any changes would take effect in the 2026 municipal election.
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