Proposal to cut regular council meetings in half fails after tie vote
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Summary
Staff proposed reducing regular council meetings to roughly one per month with additional work sessions to provide more in-depth briefings. After public comment and debate, the motion failed for lack of a majority (4–4).
City staff proposed a change to the council meeting schedule that would reduce the number of regular council meetings from roughly two per month to one per month and add work sessions to provide greater briefing time. Staff said the change was prompted in part by revised state posting rules and would yield 16–18 meetings a year instead of the current 26.
Residents and council members debated the change. Opponents said fewer regular meetings could slow approvals and reduce transparency for items currently handled during briefings; supporters said the format would allow deeper discussion in workshops and make staff work more efficient. Resident Harold Willis said topics of public-health and public-safety importance sometimes need to be aired in full council sessions rather than briefings.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem moved to approve the revised schedule but the motion failed because the council produced a 4–4 tie. Staff noted that the council already operates once-monthly in certain months and that work sessions and additional meetings can still be scheduled if needed.