County Council

About County Council

Perth County Council is made up of representatives from the four Lower-Tier member municipalities within the County’s geographic boundaries.

The Head of County Council, known as the Warden, is elected from among the Council members annually in December by a vote at Council. The composition of Perth County Council is determined by a Restructuring Order that came into force on January 1, 1998. Voting in any Committees are not weighted. Votes at Perth County Council are weighted as outlined in the Restructuring Order as follows:

North Perth - 3 representatives with 2 votes each
West Perth - 2 representatives with 2 votes each
Perth East - 3 representatives with 2 votes each
Perth South - 2 representatives with 1 vote each

The City of Stratford and Town of St. Marys do not have a seat on Perth County Council. The County, City, and Town share a number of services (Paramedic Services, Stratford-Perth Archives, Social Services, Spruce Lodge Home for the Aged, etc.). The three municipalities form the Municipal Shared Services Committee (MSSC) for the purpose of deliberating on these shared services.

Delegations at County Council

If you would like to speak at a County Council meeting you must register with the Clerk’s Division as a delegation. A delegation means a person or group that address Council or Committee for the purpose of making a presentation or a request of Council. Any person or group that would like to appear before Council or Committee on County business shall notify the Clerk in writing no later than noon on the Thursday preceding the meeting. A Council Delegation Request Form must be submitted to the Clerk’s Division. The Clerk or Administrative Support Clerk will confirm the appointment date, time and location of the meeting. Delegations are limited to a maximum of 15 minutes including questions and answers from Council.

Any written materials or information that you would like to circulate to Council in advance of the meeting must be received by the Clerk no later than noon on the Thursday in advance of the meeting. This will allow any written materials to be included in the Council Agenda. These documents will become part of the public record and published on the County website.

Council Delegation Request Form

Correspondence to County Council

Correspondence addressed to the Warden and/or Perth County Council will be distributed directly to them via email or hand delivery. Correspondence will not be included on a Council or Committee Agenda unless the writer specifically requests inclusion on a public agenda or in the opinion of the Clerk, the information is suitable for public distribution. To be included on a Council Agenda, correspondence must be received by noon on the Thursday in advance of the scheduled meeting. The Clerk reserves the right to withhold any correspondence from the agenda that may be considered inappropriate or offensive in nature. Personal information should be removed from any item of correspondence to be included on a Council agenda as it becomes part of the public record and is published on the County website. It is the County’s preference that any written materials be provided digitally.

Petitions

Petitions can play an important role in the communication between residents and members of Council. Petitions received by the County of Perth will be presented to Council and listed as items of Correspondence on a Council Agenda. Petitions should be sent to the attention of the County Clerk by mail or delivered in person to the Perth County Courthouse located at 1 Huron Street, Stratford, ON. Petitions may also be submitted to the Warden or any member of Council, who will forward it to the County Clerk for presentation to Council.

Petitions are considered public documents. All information contained on a petition will be subject to the scrutiny of County Council and the general public. It is important that you inform anyone who signs the petition of this fact. We recommend that you include a disclosure statement on every page of the petition so that those who sign the petition are aware of its public availability.

Tips for Preparing Petitions:

Petitions should be addressed to County Council and request a particular action;
Text of the request should be listed at the top of each page. Pages should be numbered and the total number of pages indicated;
Petitions should contain original signatures only and petitioners must provide his or her full address;
Electronic petitions must include petitioners name, address and valid email address.

Sample Petition Template:

To: Warden and Members of Council

I/We the undersigns, petition the Council of the County of Perth as follows:

(enter brief description of the request)

(enter chart including Name of Petitioner, Petitioners Address, Petitioners Signature)

Disclosure Statement to appear on all pages:

By signing this petition, I hereby acknowledge that this petition will become a public document at the County of Perth. All information contained in it will be available publicly. Questions about the collection and disclosure of personal information contained in this petition should be directed to the County Clerk at 1 Huron Street, Stratford, ON by email or phone at 519-271-0531.