Sarnia council has approved office space at city hall for councillors to meet with members of the public.
Mayor Mike Bradley and Councillor Dave Boushy voted against the motion Monday, while councillors Bev MacDougall and Mike Kelch were absent.
Boushy says he's always preferred discussing matters over a cup of coffee, often meeting people at Tim Hortons or at the MacLean Centre before it was demolished.
"The reason it was successful, because it wasn't at the city hall," he says. "After a year and a half, two years, I had about 2,000 people, and they all mentioned that if it wasn't for the easy environment over a cup of coffee, they wouldn't be there."
Meanwhile, other councillors argued coffee shops are not good places for discussing sensitive topics.
Councillor Anne-Marie Gillis says even meeting at city hall committee rooms has become a difficult task.
"I know for a fact that many people are quite taken aback when they ask to meet with me, when we have to arrange something, because they automatically think that we will be meeting at city hall," she says.
"Many times, when I've tried to meet, I can't accommodate through the committee room process, and have to find an alternative."
Councillors will be able to use the city manager's office on the second floor with Margaret Misek-Evans moving into the former city clerk's office.
The viability of maintaining office space for councillors will be revisited after one year.
