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Provo Council votes to trial five‑minute presentations and Q&A at work sessions
Summary
The Provo Municipal Council approved a two‑month trial to limit presenter remarks to five minutes at work meetings and shift time toward council Q&A and discussion; councilors also asked staff to improve packet organization and public‑facing slides.
The Provo Municipal Council voted on Jan. 27 to try a revised work‑meeting format that caps presenter remarks at five minutes and prioritizes question‑and‑answer discussion. Council Vice Chair Craig Christiansen proposed the change as a way to focus meetings on decision making rather than extended slide readings.
"The idea is to give each presenter ... five minutes, summarizing the key concept and idea, and the decision that they need the council to make," Christiansen said. Multiple council members supported the concept but raised concerns about departments’ capacity to prepare fuller memos and the need to make any additional written materials publicly available rather than limited to council distribution.
Council members also discussed improving agenda packaging for the public — placing an overview slide or plain‑English summary early in packets and posting agendas earlier to give the public and council more time to review. Several councilors urged staff to include acronyms’ full names in materials and produce memos that stand alone for readers.
Christiansen moved a two‑month trial of the format; the motion carried in a roll‑call vote. Council members present who were polled on the motion recorded affirmative votes including Councilor Garrett, Councilor McCabe, Councilor Christiansen, Councilor Whitlock, Councilor Bogdan, Councilor Hoban and Councilor Whipple. The council plans to evaluate the approach after the trial period and revisit the policy.
