There will be no change to the size of Fort Frances council in the near future.

Council opted not to act on a report that looked at the pros and cons of reducing the seven members to five.

Administration delved into the idea following the resignation of two councillors in the past year and a small turnout of candidates in the last couple of municipal elections.

The report found there could be some savings with a five-member council

It could also potentially create more competition during an election with fewer positions to fill.

It also identified an increase in the workload for the elected members and council not being diverse.

That worries Councillor Mike Behan

“I do realize that we are having trouble getting people to run and candidates, but I think that diversity, potential diversity loss, is more important,” says Behan.

Councillor Bill Morrison says he is concerned about the decision-making abilities of a smaller council.

“I’ve been on a council of five before, and I found all of a sudden if two people go on holidays and you only have three members, it’s really tough to make a decision with three people, ” says Morrison.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario identifies 124 of the province’s 444 municipalities with 7-member councils.

Another 197 communities are governed by 5-member councils.