Orland Council keeps meeting time

It looks like the Orland City Council will not be changing the time of its Monday night meetings after all.

Attempts by Mayor Wade Elliott to move the time up from 7:30 p.m. to 6 or 6:30 failed to get the support of council members this week, so it will stay the same.

Elliott suggested starting earlier might allow everyone to go home sooner during discussions last month.

However, changing the time required amending the city's meeting ordinance, city attorney Tom Andrews said.

Councilman Bruce Roundy said from his observations of traffic on Highway 32 it is likely 60 percent of the city's workforce is employed out of town and must commute home in the evenings.

"We need time for them to get here if they have business with the city," Roundy said. "We should not have it start anytime earlier than 7 p.m."

Concerns about conflicts with other meetings also surfaced during this week's discussion.

Economic development commissioner Mike Yalow noted the EDC normally meets at 6 p.m. on the first Monday of each month prior to the council meeting.

Therefore, changing the council's schedule would interfere with the commission's business, he said - forcing it to move to another night since it would not have enough time to conduct its business.

Orland resident Byron Denton told the council "If you don't like the hours, don't run for the job."

In the end, Vice-mayor Jim Paschall said "Leave it the way it is." It would cause too many problems to change it.

Councilman Paul Barr agreed and suggested the meeting schedule had worked for several years, so it is best to keep it.

Elliott concurred at the end of the discussion.

The City Council meets on the first and third Monday of the month, 7:30 p.m., at the Carnegie Center, 912 Third St.

Meetings will be moved to Tuesday nights following a Monday holiday.

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