Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Civic Process topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
O'Fallon council approves first reading to move meetings to 6 p.m.; some members dissent
Summary
On first reading the council agreed to consider changing regular council meetings to 6:00 p.m., a shift supporters said will improve attendance while opponents warned it could reduce access for some residents and expressed concerns about Zoom reliability.
The O'Fallon City Council voted on Dec. 15 to consider on first reading an ordinance amending City Code to move regular council meetings to 6:00 p.m.
Councilmember Roach opposed the change, arguing that many residents work later or commute to St. Louis and that the city's remote participation technology (Zoom) is not consistently reliable. "I can't even communicate as a council member, let alone a citizen being able to get on," Roach said, urging colleagues not to reduce public access.
Councilmember Lutz and others said experience shows that 6:00 p.m. meetings can improve attendance for many residents, citing recent outreach events and planning meetings that drew participants at that hour. "When there's an issue that residents care about, they've let us know based on their attendance at things recently that 06:00 generally works for them," Lutz said.
The council conducted a roll call and the motion to consider the ordinance on first reading carried. Members noted the calendar will be evaluated annually before adopting the following year's schedule.
The vote advances the ordinance to later consideration; councilmembers said they will monitor public participation and revisit the calendar before the 2027 schedule is finalized.
