IRVINE : Council Meetings Will Begin Earlier
The problem: fatigue brought on by City Council meetings stretching way past midnight.
The prescription: begin the twice-monthly meetings 2 1/2 hours earlier.
In a three-month experiment beginning this afternoon, council members will meet in a 4 p.m. session to dispense with the more routine matters on the agenda before the 6:30 p.m. regular meeting. Discussions of weightier issues and public hearings are still expected to be held during the later session to allow greater public attendance.
Today’s early session, for instance, will cover matters such as proclaiming October “Adopt-a-Dog Month” and authorizing the city staff to look for a company to build a restroom at Orchard Park.
The evening session will include discussion of a free speech-related complaint brought by an Irvine resident and the second of the council’s public hearings on a proposed 3,626-home subdivision just east of the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station.
The earlier starting time will allow the more important items on the agenda to be dealt with at the beginning of the 6:30 p.m. meeting, also allowing an earlier exit, Assistant City Manager Bernard Strojny said.
Mayor Sally Anne Sheridan has complained that the late meetings cost the city about $800 an hour in overtime pay for staff.
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