Black Diamond has put the coffee on the backburner. Lacking attendance at the Town’s coffee and conversations with the public prompted council to cancel the two-year-old initiative. At its Nov. 21 meeting, Black Diamond town council unanimously agreed to rescind the coffee and conversations policy that was implemented in 2016, shortly after a byelection that brought Coun. Brian Marconi and former mayor Glen Fagan into office. The meetings began as monthly round-table discussions where the public informally asked questions of council. In recent months, they’ve been held quarterly with the next one scheduled for Dec. 27. Sharlene Brown, Black Diamond chief administrative officer, told council last month that while the meetings are a great idea, attendance has been sporadic and declining despite being advertised on social media, the Town website and through local media. “The whole rationale was to be able to reach out to the citizens to have an informal conversation so they can have their concerns addressed or at least bring them forward,” she said. “There haven’t been a lot of action items that came out of administration. Most has been information.” Mayor Ruth Goodwin said while 10 people attended the March meeting, there was zero attendance at the following two meetings in the summer and fall. “There is a cost involved in running the coffee and conversations,” she said. “Currently we have options for residents to communicate with us through phone, email, face to face and question periods (at regular council meetings).” The cost to host the sessions is $50 for each attending councillor, as well as costs for the coffee and to light and heat the council chambers, Goodwin said. She suggested hosting the event semi-annually rather than quarterly. “The March one went very well and maybe later in the year will also,” she said. “Maybe we shouldn’t just target residential, but target our business community. Would that be another way of attempting to engage our residents and stakeholders?” Coun. Ted Bain said the meetings should be discontinued altogether. “I don’t see how advertising any further to engage different segments of the population would work much better,” he said. “I know it sounds like a great idea. In theory I’m in favour of it but in practice I don’t think it would work.” Coun. Daryl Lalonde said the public isn’t engaging the way he had hoped and there are other ways to connect with council such as email and Facebook. “When we open our doors and invite them in nobody shows,” he said. “Maybe it’s not something they want. Maybe there’s something else we should look into. It’s not going in the direction we hoped it would.”
