Council Moves Closer to Scheduling Its Meetings on Tuesdays

The City Council successfully conducted the first reading of an ordinance that could eventually move City Council meetings to Tuesdays.

Councilmembers say the change would give council members an additional workday to review agendas, meet with stakeholders, gather public input and seek information from city staff before meetings.

The proposal follows the Council’s Aug. 17 decision to hold special meetings Tuesday, Sept. 15 and Sept. 29 as a trial to determine whether moving away from Mondays would improve the city’s meeting schedule.

But rather than waiting until after the September test, the council considered the first reading of the ordinance on Monday.

City Clerk Mark Jomsky and Interim City Manager Matthew Hawkesworth determined Tuesdays would be the least disruptive alternative to Mondays, according to the report.

Under the proposed schedule, the city could continue posting council agendas and supporting materials on the Thursday before meetings.

Moving the council to Tuesdays, however, could have a ripple effect on other city meetings.

Ten city commissions, boards and committees currently meet on Tuesdays, including the Recreation and Parks Commission, Historic Preservation Commission, Human Relations Commission, Environmental Advisory Commission, Senior Commission, Northwest Commission and Design Commission.

Those advisory bodies could continue meeting Tuesdays or choose another day. However, committee and commission meetings in Council chambers would be forced to move to accommodate City Council meetings.

The September trial will also force some council committees to adjust their schedules.

Because the Finance Committee generally meets before the City Council, it will hold a special meeting Sept. 15.

That council meeting also conflicts with the regular Economic Development and Technology Committee meeting, which is expected to be rescheduled. No council committee meetings would be affected by the Sept. 29 meeting.

Staff is also proposing a closed-session-only council meeting at 5 p.m. Sept. 8.

If Tuesday meetings become permanent, similar closed-session-only meetings could be scheduled on Tuesdays following Mondays when council meetings otherwise would have been canceled, typically because of holidays.

Officials said those meetings, potentially averaging about once a month, could be used for matters that can be scheduled in advance, including labor negotiations, real estate negotiations and employee evaluations.

The change could reduce early-start closed sessions before regular council meetings and instances in which closed sessions run beyond the council’s regular 6 p.m. meeting time, according to staff.

The proposed ordinance would amend two sections of the Municipal Code governing council meetings.

City officials said changing the meeting day would not affect the public’s ability to attend publicly noticed meetings.

There is no fiscal impact associated with changing the council’s regular meeting day, according to the report.