UPDATE: On Dec. 17, 2018, city council approved the bylaw to appoint the city's first-ever deputy mayor, a position to be filled by Barry Ward.
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Veteran councillor Barry Ward is slated to become a footnote in the annals of Barrie history when he's officially appointed as the city's deputy mayor.
Councillors did not speak to the matter at Monday night's general committee meeting. The bylaw still requires final approval at next week's city council meeting.
If approved, Ward, who represents Ward 4, would serve as deputy mayor from Dec. 17, 2018 until Nov. 30, 2020, while Ward 3's Doug Shipley would fill the role from Dec. 1, 2020 to Nov. 14, 2022.
The deputy mayor receives additional compensation of $5,000 per year and a $100 monthly car allowance.
The city has previously rotated the role of acting mayor on a monthly basis, but during the last term, council discussed the idea of a deputy-mayor's position.
City staff looked into how other municipalities operate the deputy-mayor’s role, with duties such as presiding over meeting, signing official documentation in the mayor’s absence and attending events on behalf of the mayor and council.
Council decided the mayor would recommend someone for the position, which would then be approved by city council.
Options also include selecting one person for the entire four-year term or splitting the term in half.
Lehman recommended Ward and Shipley based on their tenure on council.
Ward, who was first elected to council in 2000, secured his sixth term in the recent municipal election, while Shipley, who arrived in council in 2010, won Ward 3 with just under 70 per cent of the vote.
