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Council postpones vote on moving regular meeting time to 5:30 p.m.
Summary
Councilmembers debated a proposal to move regular meetings from 6:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; opponents said the earlier start could hinder public participation. The motion to postpone consideration carried 5–0 and the resolution was delayed to the June 25 meeting.
Council members Chilson and Carey introduced Resolution 2025-017 to change the City of Soldotna’s regular council meeting time from 6:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Proponents said aligning the council start time with planning and advisory boards would create consistency and potentially make it easier for presenters and members of the public to attend earlier in the evening.
Vice Mayor Parker, who had removed the item from the consent agenda to enable fuller discussion, said the public should be aware of such a change and that adopting it with little notice would be inappropriate. Council member Wexler said she opposed the earlier start because it could create a barrier to participation for working parents and residents with after‑work obligations. "Moving it up to 5:30 would actually limit our public participation and future council member opportunities," Wexler said.
Given the concerns raised, Chilson moved to postpone the resolution until the June 25 meeting to allow more discussion and notice; the motion to postpone passed on a 5–0 roll call vote. The resolution will not be placed on the consent agenda for the next meeting.
