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Council refers proposal to move Ways & Means budget hearings into daytime to subcommittee

2109274 · January 14, 2025

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Summary

A councilor proposed amending open-meeting rules to allow Ways & Means budget hearings during daytime hours so department heads can attend without overtime; the proposal was referred to legislative affairs subcommittee for further discussion and possible revision.

Councilor Cogliandro proposed amending the city’s revised ordinances to allow Ways & Means subcommittee budget hearings to occur during regular business hours rather than after 5 p.m., with the stated goal of ensuring department heads can appear without overtime. The council debated the change on Jan. 13 and ultimately sent the proposal to the legislative affairs subcommittee for further discussion and possible tweaking.

Supporters said daytime hearings would let department heads appear in person and make budget deliberations more efficient; opponents said the change could prevent working residents and councilors with daytime jobs from participating and urged caution. Councilors proposed compromise steps, including a committee-of-the-whole discussion and scheduling adjustments that would preserve public access and department representation.

The motion was referred to subcommittee to allow further consultation on how to balance department availability and public participation before any ordinance change is advanced.