Item 8GAGENDA ITEM # 8G
JANUARY 28, 2008
CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH
CITY COMMISSION MEETING
STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM: Starting Time of Regular Commission Meetings
SUBMITTED BY: Jim Hanson~Cit ~_
DATE: January 15, 2008
BACKGROUND: At the last regular meeting a city commissioner inquired about the
possibility of changing the starting times of the regular commission
meetings from 7:15 pm to 6:00 pm. This staff report is to provide
information about how that starting time can be changed, as well as a
history of starting times for regular meetings.
The starting times of city commission meetings is set in the City Code in
Section 2-16 and can be changed through a normal ordinance procedure.
That section reads as follows;
Sec.2-16 Time and Place of Regular Meetings. The regular
meetings of the City Commission shall be held on the second and
fourth Mondays of each month, except December, in City Hall, at 7:15
pm....
The first meeting of the Council of the Town of Atlantic Beach was held
on December 15, 1925. During that meeting, 8:00 pm was set as the
regular time for city council meetings. An ordinance was adopted on
December 12, 1983 changing the starting time of the regular meetings
from 8:00 pm to 7:15 pm. This was done at the request of Mayor Howell.
The possibility of changing the starting times to 6:00 pm was discussed
with the city commission during strategic planning sessions in February of
2007. At that time, one commissioner said that they would be unable to
attend meetings that early in the evening and the subject was dropped.
That commissioner is no longer serving on the city commission.
City staff would welcome a change of the meeting time back to 6:00 pm.
Several of the staff members that regularly attend commission meetings
live outside of Atlantic Beach and the two hour and 15 minute delay
between the end of the normal work day and beginning of the regular
meetings is not convenient for many schedules. Also, if the regular
meetings run late, it is sometimes difficult to get adequate rest before the
normal start of the work day at 8:00 am the next morning.
BUDGET: There are no budget implications related to a change in meeting time.
AGENDA ITEM # 8G
JANUARY 28, 2008
RECOMMENDATION: The Mayor and Commission should provide guidance to the staff about
whether or not an ordinance should be prepared to change the starting
times of the regular meetings.
ATTACHMENT: None