The Longmont City Council will meet less frequently, at least for a while.
Council members agreed last week to meet every Tuesday just three times a month during a trial period from January through March 22.
The council typically meets four times a month, twice during a regular session and twice in a work session.
The new council will meet in a regular session to vote on ordinances and resolutions, two times a month and gather for a work session on the third Tuesday of the month or as the Longmont Housing Authority.
New city councilmember Shiquita Yarbrough suggested the change, saying meeting too often puts an unnecessary burden on council members, city staff and members of the public who want to attend meetings and voice opinions.
The city charter says the city council must meet twice a month.
Council members agreed to meet in regular session on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, during the three month trial period from January through March 2022 to gauge its impact. One work session would be held on the third Tuesday of each of the three months. The council could also convene in its role as the Longmont Housing Authority.
Councilmember Tim Waters voted for a trial period, although he voiced his reservations about cutting back on the number of meetings. Waters said meeting only twice a month in a regular session could lengthen agendas. Some meetings, Water said, already stretch past 11 p.m. to allow all the agenda items to be addressed.
Waters told council members he’d rather meet several times a month “rather than be here until the wee hours of the morning.“
