This private Act amends Order in Council 1044‑2001 (the instrument that constitutes Ville de Saint‑Jérôme) by inserting a short new division that authorizes the municipal council to designate one of its members to preside at council meetings and to name a member as vice‑chair to substitute when the presiding member is absent. The text the Parliament of Quebec adds is a single subsection (5.1) placed before Division I of Chapter II in the existing order.
The change is narrowly targeted: it does not set a selection method, term limits, powers, remuneration, or reporting requirements. Practically, the bill creates legal authority for the council to formalize who runs meetings, which will require the municipality to update its rules of procedure and related bylaws and could raise questions about how that designation interacts with the mayor’s role under broader Quebec municipal statutes.
At a Glance
What It Does
The bill inserts Division 0.1 into Order in Council 1044‑2001, adding section 5.1 that authorizes the Ville de Saint‑Jérôme council to designate one member to preside at meetings and another as vice‑chair. It contains no procedural detail on how designations must be made or what powers the presiding member will have beyond chairing meetings.
Who It Affects
Directly affected parties are the municipal council of Ville de Saint‑Jérôme (councillors and the mayor), the municipal administration responsible for meeting logistics and records, and municipal legal advisers tasked with updating bylaws. Provincial officials who manage Orders in Council will also record the amendment, but the operational impact is local.
Why It Matters
The bill formalizes an internal governance option that municipalities may already practice informally and creates a narrow statutory basis for it. For municipal officers and counsel, the key task will be translating this authority into clear bylaws and procedures to avoid disputes about leadership, authority, and continuity at council meetings.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The Act makes one focused change to the constitutional instrument that established Ville de Saint‑Jérôme. Instead of amending the general Municipal Code, the Parliament of Quebec modifies the specific Order in Council (1044‑2001) by adding a brief new division.
That division contains a single operative sentence: the council designates one of its members to preside at council meetings and designates a vice‑chair to replace the chair when absent. Because the insertion sits inside the order that governs only Saint‑Jérôme, the change applies exclusively to that municipality.
Crucially, the bill grants authorization without prescribing any of the mechanics. It does not require election, appointment method, majority type, term length, or conditions for removal.
It also does not define the presiding member’s powers beyond presiding at meetings. Those unaddressed details will have to be fixed in the municipality’s internal rules of procedure, bylaws, or council resolutions if the council wants predictable, enforceable governance.The Act’s final clause makes the change effective on the date of assent.
Operationally, once in force the council should amending its procedural bylaw, inform staff and the public, and document any designation process it adopts. Municipal legal counsel should also check whether the new designation interacts with statutory authorities that attach specifically to the mayor or to other offices under Quebec law, since the bill does not displace or redefine those roles.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill inserts a new Division 0.1 into Order in Council 1044‑2001 specifically for Ville de Saint‑Jérôme.
Section 5.1 authorizes the council to designate one of its members to preside at council meetings and to name a vice‑chair to replace the chair when absent.
The Act contains no rules about how the council must select the presiding member or vice‑chair, nor about term length, powers, or removal.
This is a private bill that applies only to Ville de Saint‑Jérôme; it does not amend Québec’s general municipal statutes.
The Act comes into force on the date of assent and requires the municipality to operationalize the change through bylaws or council practice.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Authorizes council to name a presiding member and a vice‑chair
This is the operative insertion: a short clause that gives the council express authority to designate a member to preside and a member to act as vice‑chair. Mechanically, it creates statutory cover for whatever selection process the council chooses to adopt in its own rules. Practical implication: without further municipal rules, the clause is permissive rather than prescriptive — it empowers action but does not force a particular procedure.
Amendment made to the order constituting the municipality
Rather than changing provincial municipal legislation, the bill amends Order in Council 1044‑2001 by inserting the new division before Division I of Chapter II. Because the change is embedded in the municipality’s constituting order, it applies only to Saint‑Jérôme and preserves the status quo for other municipalities unless they pursue their own amendments.
Commencement on assent
The Act states it comes into force on the date of assent. That means the moment the Act receives assent it creates the legal authority for the council to make a designation; implementation tasks (bylaw changes, internal rules, staff training) are left to the municipality and may follow the council’s political timetable.
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Explore this topic in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Municipal councillors — gain clear statutory authority to choose who presides, giving the council control over meeting leadership and reducing reliance on informal arrangements.
- Designated presiding member and vice‑chair — acquire a defined, legally backed role for chairing council meetings, which can clarify responsibilities and record‑keeping.
- Municipal administration (clerks, meeting staff) — benefit from clearer leadership protocols at meetings, which helps streamline agenda management and minute-taking.
Who Bears the Cost
- The mayor (potentially) — the change can reduce the mayor’s automatic role as meeting presider if the council designates another member, creating political and functional adjustments.
- Municipal legal counsel and clerks — must draft or amend procedural bylaws, update templates, and advise on an appropriate selection process and safeguards.
- Council as an institution — bears the risk and administrative cost of resolving any disputes arising from ambiguous selection rules if the council delays codifying a selection method.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is between local autonomy and legal certainty: the bill enhances council flexibility to decide who runs meetings, which can improve local fit and political control, but by withholding detailed rules it also creates uncertainty about selection, authority, and how this role intersects with the mayor’s statutory functions.
The Act solves a narrow problem — it gives the council power to designate meeting leadership — but leaves several implementation questions unanswered. By not prescribing the selection mechanism, the bill pushes important governance choices down to council bylaws and practices.
That delegation preserves local flexibility but invites inconsistent approaches: one council may adopt a simple majority vote, another a rotating schedule, and a third may leave it to the mayor, each producing different accountability dynamics.
There is also legal ambiguity about how this new designation interacts with other statutory roles. Quebec legislation assigns certain duties and powers to the mayor in some contexts; the Act does not displace or restate those authorities, so municipalities and their counsel must map the limits of the presiding member’s authority (for example, on administrative signatory powers, representation, or tie‑breaking) to avoid conflicts.
Finally, because this is a private amendment to a constituting order, it sets no province‑wide precedent but may encourage other municipalities to seek tailored changes — a proliferation of bespoke orders can complicate the uniform application of municipal governance principles across the province.
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