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Beloit adopts council code change moving regular meetings to 6 p.m.; adds short-notice disclosure
Summary
On second reading the Beloit City Council approved Ordinance 38-80 with a substitute amendment requiring notices for special meetings to include why short notice is needed and changing regular meeting time to 6:00 p.m., effective after publication. One councilor voted no.
The Beloit City Council on second reading approved Ordinance 38-80, adopting changes to the city code that include moving the council's regular meeting time from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. and adding a requirement that special-meeting notices explain why short notice was necessary.
The amendment approved as substitute amendment No.1 requires that special-meeting notices “provide detail as to why short notice is required,” councilors said when the language was read into the record. Council President Kevin Levy presided over the vote.
Councilor Blakely opposed the ordinance on the basis of the meeting-time change, saying she was concerned about the effect a 6 p.m. start could have on younger, working residents considering running for office. “I still happen to disagree with section 3, which changes our meeting time of city council from 7PM to 6PM,” Blakely said during discussion. The council voted to adopt the ordinance despite that objection.
The substitute amendment was moved by Councilor Foreback and seconded by Councilor Dentsch; the final motion to adopt Ordinance 38-80 (substitute amendment No.1) was moved by Foreback and seconded by Dentsch. Councilors voted in favor and the ordinance passed with one recorded dissent. According to remarks during the meeting, the ordinance takes effect the day after publication and the new 6:00 p.m. meeting time will be used beginning with the council's next meeting on June 16, 2025.
Councilors and staff said the change and the added notice language were intended to improve transparency about emergency or short-notice special meetings, while some members signaled they want to revisit meeting accessibility in the future. “The 06:00 meeting time is a little early, but we should definitely visit this in the future and make sure that we’re doing the best that we can to make sure that anyone that wants to come to these and has information can get here, and participate,” one councilor said during debate.
The ordinance was presented as part of the council's code amendments during the meeting's ordinance segment. No court or external agency approvals were cited as prerequisites for the code change; publication in the municipal paper was discussed as the final step before the effective date.
Votes at a glance: Ordinance 38-80 (City code amendments to chapter 2 regarding council procedures and special meetings) — approved; opposition: Councilor Blakely.
The council proceeded to other business after the vote.
