Severance council shifts work-session start to 5 p.m. after debate over meeting times

Council members spent an extended portion of Tuesday’s meeting debating whether the town’s meeting times should change to boost resident participation.

Mayor Friess proposed an experimental shift — including a suggestion to try a 1 p.m. start — arguing that daytime meetings could draw residents such as parents while they are available during school hours. “If maybe the kids are in school, maybe the parents would have time to come and visit our meetings,” the mayor said as part of the proposal.

Several council members opposed a move to midafternoon. Councilmember Gallardi and others said a daytime start would exclude many working residents and make it harder for council members with weekday jobs to attend. “If we change this to be 01:00... we would miss out on a lot of people that have jobs,” one councilmember said. Others suggested alternatives including moving work sessions to 5 p.m. with a 6 p.m. regular meeting start so the public has a consistent published start time.

After discussion about work-session length and options to limit run-on meetings, the council approved a motion to adjust the published schedule: work sessions will start at 5:00 p.m. and council meetings will start at 6:00 p.m. The resolution passed by roll call with at least one 'no' vote recorded. The mayor said the council remains open to future adjustments and encouraged continued public outreach to raise participation.

Council also discussed setting clear time limits for work-session agendas so the public understands expected start and end times.