With 2020 drawing to a close, Cobourg council this week approved its 2021 meeting schedule.
Most dates are on a Monday, though some Tuesday dates appear when the Monday is on a holiday – much as this week's council meeting was held on Tuesday because Thanksgiving was on Monday.
The pattern in recent years has been to keep to a three-week schedule – a committee-of-the-whole meeting one week, a regular council meeting the next, followed by a week with no meeting. More recently, it has been decided (wherever possible) to use those off Mondays for whatever public-meeting sessions may be required for planning or other matters – much as next Monday, Oct. 19, has been set aside as an update on finances in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in preparation for work on the 2021 budget.
The dates for committee-of-the-whole meetings for 2021, which begin at 6 p.m., are Jan. 4, Jan. 25, Feb. 16 (a Tuesday, since Family Day is Feb. 15), March 8, March 29, April 19, May 10, May 31, June 21, Sept. 13, Oct. 4, Oct. 25, Nov. 15 and Dec. 6.
Additionally, summertime committee-of-the-whole meetings, which begin at 4 p.m., are slated for July 19 and Aug. 23.
The dates for regular council meetings, which begin at 6 p.m., are Jan. 11, Feb. 1, Feb. 22, March 15, April 6 (since Easter Monday is April 5), April 26, May 17, June 7, June 28, Sept. 20, Oct. 12 (since Thanksgiving is Oct. 11), Nov. 1, Nov. 22 and Dec. 13.
Additionally, summertime regular-council meetings, which begin at 4 p.m., will take place on July 26 and Aug. 30.
Dates set aside for special meetings, which begin at 5 p.m., are Jan. 18, Feb. 8, March 1, March 22, April 12, May 3, May 25 (since May 24 is Victoria Day), June 14, Sept. 27, Oct. 18, Nov. 8, Nov. 29 and Dec. 20.