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Keene council votes to hold one regular meeting per month beginning April 3
Summary
After debate, the City Council voted unanimously to change its regular meeting schedule to one meeting a month starting April 3 and authorized the mayor to execute an ordinance formalizing the change.
The Keene City Council voted unanimously March 6 to change the schedule of regular council meetings to one meeting per month beginning April 3. Councilmember Chapman moved to adopt the change and authorize the mayor to execute an ordinance adopting the new schedule and repealing conflicting ordinances; Councilmember Shaw seconded the motion.
Council discussion centered on efficiency, staff workload and the availability of special meetings if needed. City Manager Seitz told the council he supported the change "from an efficiency standpoint" and said the staff believed council could adapt its workflow to one regular meeting while using special meetings when time-sensitive issues arise. Several council members said they would prefer to test the new schedule and reverse it if it proved to impair city operations.
"When I put things out in front of my team, you rise to the occasion," the city manager said, arguing that meeting less frequently could force better preparation and give boards time to complete work between council meetings. Other members asked for a trial period and said the council could always revert to two meetings per month. Council also discussed options for handling executive-session items and for reposting unfinished agenda items to the next meeting.
The final motion specified the first regular meeting under the new schedule would take place April 3; the council will hold the March 20 meeting as scheduled before the switch. The motion carried by unanimous vote of the members present.
