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Council discusses moving start time of Livingston City Council meetings; returns item for staff analysis
Summary
Councilmembers debated whether to move regular meetings earlier to improve public access; no formal schedule change was made and the council requested staff report back in one month with feasibility and director input.
The Livingston City Council discussed whether to change the regular meeting start time to better accommodate residents and reduce waiting times for public comments, but did not set a new start time. Instead the council directed staff to analyze options and return the item for further discussion.
Mayor Moran said the item had arisen after residents complained about waiting long periods to get to specific agenda items and suggested moving some reports to the end of the agenda and considering an earlier start. Council members offered differing views: some favored a 6 p.m. start to improve public participation, while others said the earlier hour would conflict with work schedules and other civic obligations and could make it hard for those councilmembers to attend regularly.
The nut graf: council did not adopt a change but agreed to continue the conversation. Council asked staff to gather input from department directors about staffing and overtime impacts, explore alternate days of the week (noting Brown Act agenda-release timing), and report back in about one month. Council also emphasized options to keep public-friendly agenda formatting (moving staff reports later in the agenda) and to preserve remote participation and phone-in options.
Public comment urged staff to poll residents to learn whether a time change would increase attendance; one resident suggested outreach to understand why most meetings draw a small in-person crowd. Councilmembers repeatedly emphasized the need to balance resident convenience with feasibility for staff and for council members with work and family responsibilities.
No formal motion to change meeting time passed. The council consensus was procedural: staff should return with a feasibility analysis and options—possible new start times, alternate meeting days, and the operational impacts on staff and advisory boards—so council can consider a firm direction.
The item will return on a future agenda once staff completes the analysis and consultation with department directors.
