Council Meeting Start Time Changed to 5 p.m.

City Council meetings will begin at 5 p.m. each week beginning April 25, with one session a month devoted to public hearings, the council has decided. Most meetings in the past have been held during the day.

Councilman Jeffrey A. Kellogg recently proposed that the Tuesday meetings start at 6:30 p.m. to increase citizen participation and allow people with more inflexible schedules to serve on the council.

Several residents, however, complained that nighttime meetings would exclude many senior citizens or disabled residents who rely on public transportation.

As a compromise, the council agreed to begin the meetings at 5 p.m. and hear citizens’ comments at the beginning of meetings instead of at the end. Under the plan, the second meeting each month will be entirely for communication from the public.