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Council debates moving regular meeting start times to 6:00 p.m.; staff to draft ordinance language
Summary
City Manager Chris Garrett opened discussion on aligning council and authority meeting start times to 6:00 p.m. Councilors weighed staff convenience and potential shorter workdays against equity and public accessibility; staff will draft ordinance language and return it for consideration.
City Manager Chris Garrett said staff would support moving the two regular meetings to 6:00 p.m. to match work sessions and shorten staff day length. He and other staff noted logistical benefits and said ordinance language could be prepared to change the regular meeting times and repost the annual schedule as required under the Open Meetings Act.
Councilors raised concerns about public accessibility: several members argued that a 6:30 p.m. start time provides a modest but meaningful window for working residents to arrive after regular business hours and helps families with childcare. One councilor said starting earlier could reduce participation by people who work standard daytime schedules or commute from Tulsa.
Several councilors said they supported drafting ordinance language to move to 6:00 p.m., while others preferred keeping 6:30 p.m. or highlighted alternatives such as reading submitted comments. The council directed staff to prepare ordinance language and scheduling options to bring back for a vote, and staff said the change could be posted and implemented for the remainder of the year if council chooses.
