A proposal to implement an earlier start time for Aurora’s city council meetings failed on Monday.
The resolution proposed by Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Gardner would have changed regular meeting start times from 6:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Council voted the resolution down in a 4-6 decision. Councilmembers Gardner, Dustin Zvonek, Danielle Jurinsky and Steve Sundberg had supported the idea.
Gardner brought the resolution forward at council’s regular meeting in December but received pushback from some constituents and councilmembers, who ultimately voted to table the proposal.
His intent was to help staff who work long hours on the days council meets by starting earlier, and potentially ending earlier, he said. Gardner also aimed to respond to complaints from people who participated in past meetings. Agenda items have been debated late into the evening at other meetings, and starting earlier could help address that dilemma too, he said.
A handful of those who offered public comment had raised concerns last month that an earlier start time would make it difficult for community members to arrive in time. People have to navigate rush hour traffic and end their workday, public commentors said. The speakers also worried changing the start time could curb public participation if fewer people are able to attend meetings.
Multiple councilmembers voiced similar worries, saying getting to 6 p.m. meetings after a workday could pose a challenge for constituents and councilmembers alike.
Those concerns remained as of Monday.
In an effort to compromise, lawmakers briefly debated starting meetings earlier. They also considered moving public comment for non-agenda items later in the meeting schedule. That motion, made by Councilmember Francoise Bergan, was withdrawn after Councilmember Alison Coombs pointed out those who wanted to comment on consent calendar items still might not arrive in time to request items be pulled for individual discussion.
“Given that the majority of items are not on the consent calendar, that would probably put people in an even worse position,” she said.
Another of Gardner’s proposal did receive approval last month, changing how lawmakers vote on some items, including his Monday resolution. Gardner proposed moving resolutions, final approval of ordinances passed unanimously on first vote, appointments to boards and commission and some planning commission matters within the consent calendar.
Consent calendar items are approved as a group through a single vote without discussion. Any councilmember may pull an item from the consent calendar for debate and a separate vote. Members of the public can still comment on any consent calendar item during public comment.
Councilmember Juan Marcano commended councilmembers’ efforts at compromise on Monday. He did not support the proposal, he said, because it would negatively impact people who work regular 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. shifts, and people who work at night. Rather, he offered his own solution to address staff needs.
“I would actually ask the city manager to create a policy around comp time for staff who are here for council meetings,” he said.
