Date change axed for council meetings

Mayor Wade Elliott's suggestion to move City Council meetings from Monday to Tuesday nights was rejected by his colleagues this week.

Elliott brought the proposal up during the council's comment period - even making a motion to adopt it - but it did not go far.

Elliott also asked to change the meeting time to 6 p.m. in order to get everybody home earlier, he said. Councilman Bruce Roundy advised him the change had not been agendized for action, so a vote could not be taken at Tuesday night's council meeting.

Elliott said other agencies meet on Tuesdays and having council meetings then would provide city staff with more preparation time for the agendas.

But Councilman Paul Barr said to leave it on Mondays, and "leave it alone."

"I don't understand the big deal," Barr said. "If you move the time up, that's OK. It's been on Monday for eons, and I don't see why we need to move it."

The council has met the first and third Mondays of each month by city ordinance for several years - usually at 7:30 p.m.

Elliott wanted to move it to the first and third Tuesday of each month at an earlier time.

Roundy added any date change "should come from the citizens."

"When we were elected, we knew it was Monday," he said.

To change it, the city should do a survey through the water bills and those attending the meetings.

He said changing the day could have a "ripple effect" on other meetings built around the council, such as city commissions, county committees, the Glenn County Fair Board and others.

Orland resident Judy Noffsinger said she did not want the date changed, either, but she did not care about the time being moved to an earlier hour.

"Changing the date is not advantageous," Vice Mayor Jim Paschall said. "Moving the time to 6:30 p.m. could be advantageous, but I won't change the date unless I get a lot of input from the public."

Paschall said starting earlier is fine, but 6:30 p.m. is probably as early as it should be so people have to get home from work, have dinner and still come to the council meeting.

The time change will be brought back in March for a council vote and added consideration.

Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com.