UPDATED

Portage la Prairie City Council will vote on changes to Question Period at its next regular meeting.

The issue was discussed during last night's Committee meeting. Besides allowing questions on any Council issue, instead of being restricted to the night's agenda, there was also a move to hold Question Period to immediately after the Committee meeting, instead of between Council and Committee.

Mayor Irvine Ferris brought the idea forward, and explains it's because many people don't realize Committee meetings are open.

"Anything that's going to come up at the next Council meeting will usually be discussed in Committee, two weeks prior to Council. In the past, we've had members of the public sitting there, and sometimes they want to ask questions, and they can't. So right after Committee, the discussion's just been completed by Council, this is a chance for them to get up and ask questions about it while it's fresh in everybody's minds."

Ferris says another proposal will give the mayor guidelines to control any inappropriate behaviour, similar to those in place in Brandon.

"There aren't many cities that have a question period, so we took a around any similar legislation, and this was some of the wording the was in theirs. And it certainly gives the Chair a few more guidelines."

He hopes Portagers will take advantage of the opportunity.

They've (Brandon) had Question Period for about a year, and they've never had anybody come out and ask a question. So this is one venue for getting information. However, Council are out and about in the public, and they can text us, they can phone us, they can e-mail us, they can talk to our staff. There are lots of ways of getting that information, and this is one more."

Here's more about Brandon's Community Question Period.