Meeting Schedule, Rules Up for Votes
The City Council agreed Tuesday to revert to its historical meeting dates on Mondays, but the change won’t come about until March or April.
City Clerk Laddie Wyatt said the council had been meeting on Mondays for 90 years before a change in 2006 to a Monday-Wednesday schedule. The late City Council President Ray Blanco sought the change, and although council members said in 2007 they didn’t like it, they kept the schedule for lack of consensus on other choices.
The meeting schedule was changed by ordinance in 2006 and so must be amended by an ordinance passed on two readings, with an additional 20 days to take effect.
The change to agenda sessions on Mondays and regular meetings on Wednesdays of the same week in the revision meant that many community members dedicated to Wednesday Bible study could not attend council meetings. Public attendance dropped off dramatically after the change.
The Monday-Wednesday schedule, which kicked over to Tuesday-Thursday after Monday federal holidays, also conflicted with numerous Board of Adjustment and Planning Board meetings over the year.
Due to the controversy, the council did not publish an annual calendar at the end of 2007.
Among the issues, some council members felt one voting meeting a month would suffice. But City Administrator Marc Dashield said, “I think that would be difficult.”
The administration must prepare documents for the council to examine for discussion at the agenda-fixing session. If there are any questions, the council can ask Dashield or department heads for more information. Considering the volume of work, Dashield said, “It takes two meetings a month.”
The council already takes a summer hiatus in June, July and August and an election hiatus in November, cutting back to just one agenda and one regular meeting. But some council members felt the schedule could be stripped down in two or three other months. Councilman Elliott Simmons said he wanted more time to spend with his family.
As the discussion wore on, Council President Harold Gibson called for an end to the indecision and Councilwoman Linda Carter asked for a consensus on the Monday-only schedule. Four of the seven members agreed, so it will be up for a vote Thursday. The meeting is 8 p.m. in Municipal Court.
Another bone of contention was re-adoption of rules of order for the council, first passed at the same time as the schedule was changed in early 2006. Created by the late Council President Ray Blanco, the rules pinpointed everything from the role of the council president to when and how council members could speak. It also established an intensive committee system, with a schedule of reports to the full council.
The rules call for three “working conference” meetings in addition to council meetings, and three were held in 2006, but none in 2007.
Residents Josef and Dottie Gutenkauf wrote a point-by-point critique of the 28-page rules document and some council members, including Don Davis, bristled at the perceived dictatorial tone of the rules. After Blanco’s untimely death in August 2006, adherence to the rules dropped off.
On Tuesday, Davis said, “I didn’t like it when it was introduced two years ago and I don’t like it now,”
The rules will also be up for a vote Thursday.
--Bernice Paglia
City Clerk Laddie Wyatt said the council had been meeting on Mondays for 90 years before a change in 2006 to a Monday-Wednesday schedule. The late City Council President Ray Blanco sought the change, and although council members said in 2007 they didn’t like it, they kept the schedule for lack of consensus on other choices.
The meeting schedule was changed by ordinance in 2006 and so must be amended by an ordinance passed on two readings, with an additional 20 days to take effect.
The change to agenda sessions on Mondays and regular meetings on Wednesdays of the same week in the revision meant that many community members dedicated to Wednesday Bible study could not attend council meetings. Public attendance dropped off dramatically after the change.
The Monday-Wednesday schedule, which kicked over to Tuesday-Thursday after Monday federal holidays, also conflicted with numerous Board of Adjustment and Planning Board meetings over the year.
Due to the controversy, the council did not publish an annual calendar at the end of 2007.
Among the issues, some council members felt one voting meeting a month would suffice. But City Administrator Marc Dashield said, “I think that would be difficult.”
The administration must prepare documents for the council to examine for discussion at the agenda-fixing session. If there are any questions, the council can ask Dashield or department heads for more information. Considering the volume of work, Dashield said, “It takes two meetings a month.”
The council already takes a summer hiatus in June, July and August and an election hiatus in November, cutting back to just one agenda and one regular meeting. But some council members felt the schedule could be stripped down in two or three other months. Councilman Elliott Simmons said he wanted more time to spend with his family.
As the discussion wore on, Council President Harold Gibson called for an end to the indecision and Councilwoman Linda Carter asked for a consensus on the Monday-only schedule. Four of the seven members agreed, so it will be up for a vote Thursday. The meeting is 8 p.m. in Municipal Court.
Another bone of contention was re-adoption of rules of order for the council, first passed at the same time as the schedule was changed in early 2006. Created by the late Council President Ray Blanco, the rules pinpointed everything from the role of the council president to when and how council members could speak. It also established an intensive committee system, with a schedule of reports to the full council.
The rules call for three “working conference” meetings in addition to council meetings, and three were held in 2006, but none in 2007.
Residents Josef and Dottie Gutenkauf wrote a point-by-point critique of the 28-page rules document and some council members, including Don Davis, bristled at the perceived dictatorial tone of the rules. After Blanco’s untimely death in August 2006, adherence to the rules dropped off.
On Tuesday, Davis said, “I didn’t like it when it was introduced two years ago and I don’t like it now,”
The rules will also be up for a vote Thursday.
--Bernice Paglia
posted by Bernice at 8:36 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home