How are policies and procedures different from Bylaws?
Bylaws are the fundamental governing documents for the Town. They clearly state the rules and regulations for a number of issues and activities related to the municipality. Policies and procedures, on the other hand, dictate the day-to-day decisions and operations for Town staff and committee and board members. Policies answer the questions WHY? and WHAT? For example, why does the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board exist? Procedures answer the question HOW? by providing the steps for implementation to turn policies into action.
Policies and procedures can be considered 'living' or 'fluid' documents, as they can change quite often in response to new issues, circumstances, needs, or concepts. Bylaws are much more 'static', as they rarely change and require Council's approval to do so. All policies and procedures, as well as the committees and actions that result from them, must be consistent with the bylaws.