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La Porte sustainability commissioners debate meeting frequency and subcommittee use
Summary
Commissioners debated meeting twice monthly versus monthly with ad hoc working sessions and discussed whether subcommittees require public notice; the commission confirmed it is a six-member body and agreed to explore subcommittees and working sessions while keeping the March 24 meeting as the next regular meeting.
Under new business the commission reviewed the ordinance that created the body and debated meeting frequency. Speaker 1 said monthly meetings felt insufficient for maintaining momentum and proposed meeting twice a month; Speaker 3 responded, "I don't think 1 a month is enough," while Speaker 2 and others said scheduling and overlapping volunteer commitments make more frequent formal meetings difficult.
Members discussed alternatives: keep one official monthly meeting and schedule topic-specific working sessions or subcommittees to advance work between plenary meetings. Questions arose about whether subcommittees must be publicly noticed; some members thought subcommittees do not require separate public posting so long as their findings are reported at a regular meeting, and Speaker 2 offered to check on announcement requirements.
The commission noted the ordinance sets membership at six voting members and that any change to commission size would require the city attorney to draft an amendment. Commissioners agreed to form small groups or ad hoc working sessions where feasible and to seek clarity from staff on public-notice obligations. The commission scheduled its next regular meeting for March 24 and discussed an interim working session that would include Tucker where possible.
