The Monmouth City Council on Jan. 7 approved a public-use plan for City Hall meeting spaces and adopted Resolution 2002, a fees-and-charges schedule that includes a $50 audiovisual fee and a $25 fee for the room monitor.

City Manager Rochelle Ritten told the council staff updated a draft plan presented in October to incorporate council requests and to enable community rental of the council chambers, the executive meeting room and the front patio. "Staff has purchased a meeting owl, which will be connected to the roving monitor and a laptop," Ritten said, and the $50 fee for audiovisual equipment will help with setup and user training.

The adoption implements a formal process for outside groups to reserve City Hall space and clarifies rental charges. Council discussion focused on fee wording and the reservation form: one councilor asked that the $50 audiovisual fee be applied only when equipment is actually used. Councilor Roberts said the program advances the council's goal of opening City Hall and the patio for broader community use: "This is a really nice step in that direction to finally... define exactly how that works." The council voted 6-0 to adopt the resolution.

Votes at a glance — Consent and fees
- Minutes (consent calendar): Motion to approve the minutes for Nov. 19, Dec. 4 and Dec. 17 (as corrected) was approved during the consent calendar (outcome: approved; roll-call not recorded in detail in transcript).
- Resolution 2002, resolution adopting a fees-and-charges schedule and approving the City Hall public-use plan: motion moved and seconded on the record; roll-call recorded as yes votes from Councilors Carol McKeel, Lopez, Oberst, Roxanne Belts, Carrie Williams and Jason Ridgeway; outcome approved, 6-0.

What happens next
Phyllis Bowman, the city recorder, will incorporate the fee schedule and execute the procedural steps for public reservations. Staff said they would correct the fee-language on the reservation form to make clear the audiovisual charge applies only when the equipment is used.