Have you ever read a Council agenda, heard about a municipal decision or noticed something happening around town and thought:

“Has anyone asked Council about this?”

Several residents have recently asked me how they can submit a question to Diamond Valley Council.

The process is more accessible than many people realize. However, knowing where to find the form is only one part of it.

A useful Council question also needs to be focused, timely and directed toward something Council or Administration can reasonably answer.

This Civic Tools guide walks through the complete process.

First, Understand What You Are Requesting

Residents commonly say they would like to “get a question on the Council agenda.”

Technically, submitting a question does not normally create a new decision item on the agenda. Instead, residents participate through Question Period, which is included in every Regular Council Meeting agenda.

Question Period gives members of the public an opportunity to ask Council a question during a public meeting.

A question may:

• request information or clarification;
• identify a consequence Council may not have discussed;
• ask how a policy or decision will be implemented;
• connect an agenda item with a broader community concern; or
• ask whether Council will consider a particular course of action.

Submitting a question does not guarantee that Council will make a motion or take immediate action. Council may answer during the meeting, delay its response or ask Administration to provide additional information.

Step 1: Find the Meeting and Agenda

Diamond Valley Regular Council Meetings are normally held at 6:00 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of each month.

Before writing your question, find the meeting agenda on the Town’s website.

The agenda package may contain:

• staff reports;
• proposed bylaws and policies;
• financial information;
• correspondence;
• background documents; and
• the motions Administration is recommending.

Reading the relevant report helps you avoid asking something that has already been answered and may reveal a more useful question.

Pay particular attention to the sections titled:

• Purpose;
• Background;
• Financial or Resource Implications;
• Communications and Public Participation;
• Proposed Options; and
• Administration Recommendation.

Step 2: Decide What You Actually Want to Know

A concern and a question are not quite the same thing.

A concern might be:

The Town cuts too much grass.

A more useful question would be:

Will the Town consider identifying suitable open spaces where reduced mowing or intentional naturalization could support pollinators, wildlife habitat and stormwater management?

The second version gives Council something specific to respond to.

Before writing, ask yourself:

1. What decision, policy or municipal activity concerns me?
2. What information is missing?
3. Who has the authority to address it?
4. What answer or action am I requesting?
5. Can I ask it as one clear question?

Step 3: Write One Focused Question

Diamond Valley’s Question Period guidelines require the subject to be presented in the form of a question.

A simple structure works well:

Brief context + the specific question

For example:

The staff report recommends increasing a municipal fee, but it does not identify how the additional revenue will be allocated. Will Council specify whether the new revenue will offset property taxes, fund current operations or be placed in an infrastructure reserve?

The context explains why the question matters. The final sentence makes clear what you want Council to answer.

Try to avoid:

• several unrelated questions bundled together;
• long speeches before reaching the question;
• accusations about someone’s motives;
• claims that cannot be supported;
• asking Council to debate with you; or
• wording that can be answered only with “yes” or “no” when an explanation is needed.

Respectful wording does not make a question weak. A calm, precise question can make the underlying issue much harder to overlook.

Step 4: Complete the Registration Form

The Town provides a Question Period Registration Form.

The form asks for:

• your question;
• your name;
• the town where you live;
• your telephone number; and
• your email address.

Questions must be capable of being presented within five minutes, unless Council approves additional time by a two-thirds vote.

In most cases, a good question will require much less than five minutes.

Step 5: Submit It Before the Deadline

The completed form must be submitted no later than 12 noon on the day of the Council meeting.

It can be submitted:

• in person; or
• by email to LegislativeServices@diamondvalley.town.

If you wish to ask your question through the online meeting, you must register with the Legislative Services Manager by the same noon deadline.

It is a good practice to request acknowledgement that your submission has been received.

A question received too late for the current meeting will be acknowledged and forwarded to the next meeting.

Step 6: Understand the Public Nature of the Process

Question Period takes place during a public Council meeting.

Your submission and any supporting material become part of the public record. They may appear in a Council agenda package, meeting minutes, video recording, Town website or social-media channel.

Council meetings are recorded and made available on YouTube.

Residents should understand this before including personal information, photographs or supporting documents beyond what is necessary.

Step 7: Attend or Watch the Meeting

Question Period is limited to a total of 15 minutes during the meeting.

The Presiding Officer acknowledges each person whose question will be heard. Councillors may ask questions to clarify the subject, but Question Period is not intended to become a debate among the speaker, Council and Administration.

If your question concerns an item elsewhere on the meeting agenda, the Presiding Officer may allow the question but delay the answer until Council reaches that item.

Some Questions May Not Be Permitted

The Presiding Officer may decline questions concerning:

• matters that require a public hearing or for which a public hearing has already been held;
• certain matters Council has previously considered and staff are addressing or have completed;
• confidential matters, including personnel, legal negotiations and some land transactions; or
• promotion of commercial products or services unrelated to Town business.

These restrictions do not mean residents cannot participate. They mean that some issues have a different legal or procedural route.

Step 8: Listen Carefully to the Response

Council may:

• provide an immediate answer;
• say that additional information is needed;
• ask Administration to respond;
• return to the subject at a later meeting; or
• make a motion arising from Question Period.

Listen for what was answered—and what was not.

Sometimes the most important result is not an immediate decision. Asking the question may cause Council to explain its reasoning publicly, place information on the record or recognize an issue that deserves further work.

Step 9: Follow the Question After the Meeting

Afterward:

1. Watch the meeting recording if you missed part of the response.
2. Read the approved minutes when they become available.
3. Check later agendas for reports or follow-up motions.
4. Save your original question and any response you receive.
5. Decide whether further follow-up is genuinely necessary.

Minutes may record that a question was asked without reproducing Council’s complete response. The meeting video can therefore provide important context.

A Good Question Is a Civic Tool

Question Period is not only for people who oppose a Council decision.

It can also be used to clarify good work, draw attention to an overlooked opportunity or help residents understand why a decision is being made.

A useful question does not begin with:

“How do I prove Council wrong?”

It begins with:

“What does the community need to understand?”

When residents learn how to read agendas, examine reports and ask focused questions, municipal decisions become easier to follow—and public participation becomes more meaningful.

Links

Online Question Form https://www.diamondvalley.town/formcenter/legislative-services-10/question-period-registration-form-174

PDF Question Form https://www.diamondvalley.town/DocumentCenter/View/5852/Question-Period-Request-Form—Diamond-Valley?bidId=

Council agendas and meetings page https://diamondvalley.civicweb.net/portal/

Would a hands-on workshop help?
I am developing a Lunch & Learn at the Griffith’s Centre where residents can learn how to read a Council report, turn a concern into a focused question and complete the Question Period submission process. Further details will follow.

Sustainability grows when we share it.