Bathroom break nearly derails $22-million project at city council meeting

A brief break during Wednesday's city council meeting in Saskatoon nearly cost the city dearly.

During the waning moments of a marathon regular business meeting, an item arose to approve or deny $22 million of spending to create a city-owned and operated organics processing facility.

But as the item was being introduced, Coun. David Kirton briefly stepped away from chambers and almost flushed this project down the toilet.

"I'm not sure if that was intentional, but very significant consequences," Mayor Charlie Clark said as he realized Kirton wasn't in the room when the vote was taking place.

You can hear another councillor say "he's in the washroom" on the city's video of the meeting.

The moment was significant because like most major issues over the last few years, council was divided. Without Kirton's vote in favour of the project, council was at a standstill with five voting for and five voting against. According to procedure, any tie means a vote is defeated.

"I don't recall anything specific happening like this," Coun. Donauer said Friday.

Kirton says he simply thought he had more time before the vote, so he decided to take a moment to step out -- which is common during long meetings in council chambers.

But because councillors have debated the organics facility over numerous meetings in recent months, there was no discussion, only a vote, which left Kirton absent during a crucial moment.

"I miscalculated and I came back in to a pretty hush chamber and, Coun. Loewen said, 'You know, we lost. We lost the vote on the organics to a tie,'" Kirton said.

"I couldn't believe what I heard. And my heart sank and my stomach sank."

Making the situation even more dramatic was the actions of Donauer, who preferred the project be offered to the open market instead of taking it in-house. Knowing that the facility was likely to go ahead with a 6-5 vote based on the previous meetings, he rose and asked councillors to reconsider the motion knowing the facility he was opposing would now proceed.

"As soon as all the councilors were assembled, they would have found a motion," Donauer said.

"All they had to do is change one word or change it by a dollar and we would have debated the whole thing again, so the end result was inevitable."

By not only saving Kirton some embarrassment, Donauer says he likely saved hours of time for administration and council to sort through another vote.

Kirton says that even though he and Donauer are often locked in opposing votes, a gesture like that shows how councillors cooperate

"I just thought it was amazingly classy," Kirton said.

"We've become best friends, and when we are in there, it's not about agreeing or disagreeing, it's not about fighting each other. it's about moving the city forward."

Ultimately, Kirton ended up seconding the motion that would allow a vote to proceed with all members of council present.

"The votes can go all different directions at all different times, but nobody really plays games in council," Donauer said. "And we're all trying to get to the end result, which is that our residents are heard."

As predicted by Donauer, the motion carried 6-5, which approves the city to create its own organics processing facility in an area near the material recovery centre. However, no one imagined how the process of getting there would ultimately play out.

"In 18 years, that's another new experience in council. But I do want to thank you, Coun. Donauer for your grace in that situation," Clark said moments after the vote.

"I always like to bring something new to council, and I guess this was the latest thing. But I don't want to do it again though. Never," Kirton said with a smile.