City Council
Special Meeting
Start Time
December 15, 2025
Chantal Eaton
Deputy City Clerk
Recommendation
• Staff is seeking Council’s direction on:
1. Whether to continue the current flexible approach to special meeting start times or establish a standard start time going forward.
2. If a standard start time is preferred, what time should be designated for special meetings (including study sessions).
Background
Regular meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Monday and may not begin earlier than 6:30 p.m.; in practice, meetings typically begin at 7:00 p.m. (Section 2.09 of the City Charter)
Special meetings may be scheduled outside the regular calendar and may be called with at least 24 hours’ notice; they are commonly held immediately before regular meetings for focused discussion.
For example: study sessions and/or closed session (Section City Charter 2.11) Start Time Trends (Past 3 Years)
2025
• 19 special meetings
began at 5:30 p.m.
• 4 began at 6:00 p.m.
or 6:30 p.m.
• Later starts were
generally short (closed
session and/or one
brief study session)
2024
• 11 began at 5:30 p.m.
• 8 began at 5:00 p.m.
• 1 began at 6:00 p.m.
• 5:00 p.m. starts
typically supported
longer agendas
(closed session and/or
longer study session
2023
• 17 began at 5:30 p.m.
• 1 began at 5:00 p.m.
(larger number of
items)
• 7 began at 6:00 p.m.
• 6:00 p.m. starts were
primarily closed
session items or short
informational updates
Thank You
Chantal Eaton
Deputy City Clerk
[email protected]