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Hamer-Jackson skipped — Bass told KTW, on behalf of council, of the group’s concerns with the mayor’s lack of teamwork and absence from numerous public events.

At the time, Bass said the councillors intended to draft new terms of reference for deputy mayors to take on more duties.

Now, however, it will be up to the group of four to decide if the job should involve more duties.

Bass said the working group’s discussions will aim to address questions councillors have raised with the role and how best to refine its expectations.

She said new councillors, including herself as a rookie last term, have had questions about what the job entails. Bass said she didn’t initially realize it involved signing documents, noting the job changed during the pandemic and wildfire season. And the role of deputy mayor was first placed into a monthly rotation under previous mayor Ken Christian, Bass said, noting that aspect wasn’t added to the city’s procedure bylaw.

“There’s lots of little nuances and minutia that we need to just write down in a list,” she said.

Bass also brought forward a notice of motion on Jan. 31 that administration prepare an amendment to the council procedure bylaw, allowing for councillors to decide the designation and schedule for deputy mayors to act in the place of the mayor when