Aurora council votes to suspend rules and remove hard 5:15 p.m. study-session start time for March 10

The Aurora City Council on Feb. 24 voted to suspend its rules for the March 10 meeting so the city manager may set the study-session start time and remove the standing 5:15 p.m. hard start. The change was requested by City Manager Jason Batcher to provide flexibility because several items were pushed from the Feb. 24 agenda and the council must conclude work before a 6:00 p.m. listening session that night.

Batcher asked the council to allow the city manager discretion to start the study session at 5:00 p.m. or as early as 4:45 p.m. for March 10 if needed; he said he would notify council of the exact start time. City Attorney Pete Scholte and staff explained that suspending the rule for the next meeting requires a two-thirds vote and that a later resolution could permanently change the rule if the council chooses.

Council Member Bergen moved to suspend the rules to remove the 5:15 p.m. hard start for the March 10 study session; Council Member Hancock seconded. After a roll-call process the motion passed by the required two-thirds majority. Mayor Kaufman and Council Member Lawson were recorded voting yes during the call; the clerk announced the motion passed and that the rules were suspended.

Why it matters: Removing the hard start time gives staff and the council scheduling flexibility for study-session agendas and helps avoid rushing items before the listening-session deadline. The suspension applied to the March 10 meeting only; staff said a future resolution could remove the hard start from standing rules.

Next steps: City Manager Jason Batcher will confirm and announce the March 10 study-session start time; staff may bring a resolution to permanently remove the hard start from the council rules at a later meeting.