WIndsor City Council - Volunteer Committee Shakedown

City Council is proposing to reduce the number of meetings to a maximum of four per year for what is termed advisory committees. Committees such as the Seniors Committee, the Mayor's Youth Committee, the Small Business Panel and the Windsor Bicycling Committee (WBC) have been surprised to learn of this turn of events, expressing fears that this action will trigger the eventual redundancy of their advocacy and volunteer work in the community. Attached is a letter from the Bicycling Committee addressing its concerns.


Dear Mr. Mayor and Members of City Council.

The WBC has recently become aware of the possibility that advisory committees like ours will have our meetings cut back from monthly to quarterly. We are concerned that the implementation of this will make us ineffective; where our ability to influence city council, make recommendations, conduct research and most importantly, advance issues that affect cyclists, motorists and pedestrians, will be severely impacted in a negative manner.


The WBC also understands the recommendation calls for a more limited work load for advisory committees, specifically, event planning. It is our goal to promote cycling as a healthy, safe and fun activity for the residents of our fine city. We do this, in part, by organizing public events that promote cycling (for example, the Bike The Bridge event and Bike To Work Week). We work with Windsor's not-for-profit organizations, giving support for their events (like the Health Units Rediscover Your Bike). These events also highlight the city’s livable and natural spaces (like our parks and trail systems), they also educate residents on safe cycling practices, and they remind residents of the many opportunities Windsor provides for healthy, active recreation.


In addition to promoting the city to its residents, the WBC also collaborates with other organizations that strive to increase tourism in our area. Last year’s inaugural Bike Train visits saw many out-of-towners come to the city and use the riverfront trail and our bike lanes, and visitor reactions to our facilities were positive and encouraging. Without regular, timely meetings, events like these could not take place.


The strangling of Windsor’s advisory committees will affect more than the city’s budget. Decreasing the number of meetings per year may cause volunteers to feel their efforts are not needed or appreciated, and the WBC fears this perceived apathy will cause many volunteers to quit. The city has resources that can be tapped in each of the volunteers sitting on the various advisory committees. The loss of these dedicated individuals would be a great detriment to the city, especially since they provide a vital service at almost no cost.


We ask that, before any decisions are made regarding this recommendation, all committees are given the chance to understand why the city believes it is necessary. We ask that all committees have input into this matter so that our effectiveness isn’t compromised, and so that we can work together to determine the best path forward for all of Windsor’s advisory committees.

Thank You,
On behalf of the members of the WBC
Mark Lindquist
Chair