We take the time to get it right.
Council meetings do often last late into the night. Nobody knows that more than my fellow Council members and me! There’s a simple reason why meetings run long and my opponent has overlooked this in her data.
The City Council reviews a lot of business and accomplishes a great deal in every meeting. We address issues that are important to our citizens. We encourage a full and thorough debate of every issue and allow residents time to speak.
We don’t cut meetings short or stifle residents’ voices to facilitate shorter meetings. City Council members work until all hours to respond to citizens’ needs and that’s a good thing.
Here’s what my opponent doesn’t understand:
Could we make meetings shorter? Sure, but only if we limit citizen input or stifle debate. Our residents deserve better. They deserve a City Council that takes the time to listen and takes the time to consider solutions – even if it means long nights for everyone involved, especially city staff and Council members.
- continue to Executive Sessions are Essential
- return to Straight Talk about West Lake Hills City Council
The City Council reviews a lot of business and accomplishes a great deal in every meeting. We address issues that are important to our citizens. We encourage a full and thorough debate of every issue and allow residents time to speak.
We don’t cut meetings short or stifle residents’ voices to facilitate shorter meetings. City Council members work until all hours to respond to citizens’ needs and that’s a good thing.
Here’s what my opponent doesn’t understand:
- The City Council only meets twice a month. Meetings start at 7:00 and the Council addresses an average of 16 agenda items per meeting. During one of those two monthly meetings, the City Council also meets as the Board of Adjustment to hear complicated and time-consuming variance applications. This means two back-to-back meetings on one night.
- Our citizens deserve progress and quick action, so the mayor brings agenda items to the City Council as soon as they’re ready for discussion. Agendas can get pretty long, but the only alternative is to kick cases down the road for weeks or months to keep meetings short. We don’t do that. Residents want and deserve prompt discussion of the issues that are important to them.
- We give every case before us a thorough discussion and we take the time to achieve a consensus among the Council members whenever possible. It’s a more cordial and respectful process and it always improves the final outcome.
- Sometimes public hearings on an agenda item can last for hours due to the nature of the topic and the number of residents who want to be heard. We let citizens speak. We encourage debate. Good democracy takes time.
- We give every issue the full consideration it deserves. We don’t rush residents through the process so we can get to bed earlier.
Could we make meetings shorter? Sure, but only if we limit citizen input or stifle debate. Our residents deserve better. They deserve a City Council that takes the time to listen and takes the time to consider solutions – even if it means long nights for everyone involved, especially city staff and Council members.
- continue to Executive Sessions are Essential
- return to Straight Talk about West Lake Hills City Council