Council approves shorter meetings

CITY HALL — The City Council on Tuesday approved a number of changes to meeting formats, in an attempt to streamline city business and produce more efficient meetings.

Improved meeting management emerged as a priority among council members, after sessions routinely went past midnight, with one lasting almost eight hours.

Among 16 items adopted Tuesday in a 4-1 vote is a measure that will push the start of council meetings to 6 p.m., creating additional time for ceremonies and presentations that sometimes drive meetings into the late hours.

"I think that beginning at 6 p.m. gets us to our agenda items much more quickly and efficiently," Mayor Marsha Ramos said.

But Councilman David Gordon, who voted against the modifications, argued that an earlier start time might make it difficult for members of the public to get to meetings in time to speak, in light of various work schedules.

"As far as starting at 6 o'clock, it sounds good on the face," he said.

"But that half-hour makes a difference for me, and it definitely makes a difference for others, too…. Unless there's some pressing need, I'd prefer to keep it at a 6:30 start time, but would go for 6 if it were the majority of the council."

The city attorney's office is working out the details to determine when the 6 p.m. start time will go into effect, Chief Assistant City Atty. Juli Scott said.

An 11 p.m. cap will also be put on meeting length, which can be superseded if there is a majority council vote to continue.

That strategy was implemented in part to give relief to city employees, who are expected to be at work early after attending late-night meetings, Ramos said.

"By having to take an action, it calls to mind not only the late hour, but it gives the city manager the ability to release staff," she said.

The council also voted to combine the two existing public comment periods — which are now separated into a period for agenda items and a period for non-agenda items — into a single five-minute period, where speakers can address any item of city business, regardless of whether it appears on the night's agenda.

And speakers with documents that they want to give to the council as a part of their presentation will now be required to provide 10 copies to the city clerk.