Midhurst/April 22, 2025 – Following extensive discussions over the course of 2025, County Councillors today enacted a by-law to initiate changes to the size and composition of County Council, which would reduce it from 32 members to 17 members, inclusive of the mayors from each member municipality and appointment of a full-time Warden position. It is one more step in a comprehensive process, which included a public meeting on March 11, 2025 where feedback from the public was received. The matter will now be considered by the member municipalities as part of the triple majority approval process.
Weighted Vote Discussion
A focus of the discussion was the weighted vote component which allocates a total number of votes to each municipality based on the number of electorates in that municipality. This essentially means that larger municipalities have more votes. Currently this is apportioned between two municipal representatives (the Mayor and Deputy Mayor who both sit as County Councillors) but the proposal to reduce Council would reallocate the same weight to one municipal representative. Councillors requested that the Governance Committee make recommendations about the circumstances in which a weighted vote could be used going forward. Once the Governance Committee has had the opportunity to consider these circumstances, recommendations will be brought back to County Council for consideration.
Triple Majority Process
With respect to the composition of Council, it is important to note that the changes are not yet finalized. The enactment of this by-law marks the first step in the ‘triple majority’ process. This process requires a majority of votes on County Council (which has now been achieved), a majority of lower-tier councils passing resolutions consenting to the by-law, and the consenting lower-tier councils representing a majority of all electors in the upper-tier municipality.
The by-law will now be circulated to the 16 lower-tier councils for further consideration, with responses requested by June 30, 2025.
If approved, these decisions would take effect for the 2026-2030 term. The current structure will continue for the remainder of the current term of County Council.
About the County of Simcoe
The County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.
