Keeping tabs on what motions your councilor votes for or against has become a lot easier, now that council has decided to record every vote during meetings.

In a recorded vote, the motion passed 17-6.

Councilor Reg Rankin made a slight amendment to remove some things from needing to be recorded to make things a little more common sense.

“The approval of minutes, the approval of the order of business – the agenda – and last but not least the motion of adjournment,” he said. “I can’t recall the last time we had a debate on the motion of adjournment.”

Some councilors protested the whole idea but, Jim Smith said the move would make things clearer for everyone.

“I don’t think the old system worked that well,” he explained. “As far as time goes, how many times have we raised our hands up and had to redo it because someone didn’t put their hand up and then by the time we did about three votes by hand someone would say, ‘Let’s have a recorded vote’ and then we’d have a recorded vote? This will make it very simple; we’ll know what we’re doing.”

There was some question about how recorded votes would work when council was in camera so that was deferred pending a supplementary report.

That vote was a lot closer, squeezing through 12-11.

The new system was put to the test right away, and drew chuckles from everyone when councilor Brad Johns accidentally hit red instead of green on the very next motion, which happens from time to time.

The vote was corrected.