Ferndale Changes Council Meeting Start Times
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Feb. 18, 2014)
After weeks of surveying the community and discussion at council meetings, Ferndale City Council has voted to move council meeting start times to 7pm from their traditional 7:30pm.
Councilperson Melanie Piana voted against the earlier start time, having stated in earlier discussions that it would make it more difficult to get people there on time for special meetings, which sometimes are scheduled before regular ones.
“I’m just going to reiterate what I said last time, and the first time this came to council,” Piana said. “I appreciate the efforts that have been made, and while 7:00 is better than 6:30 I’m sticking to my original position.”
The 7pm time was approved 4-1, and will apply to all meetings starting with the Feb. 24 City Council Meeting.
In December, Mayor Dave Coulter said “We’ve heard over the years that an earlier start time might be more convenient. If getting home a little sooner from a Council meeting is helpful to residents then that’s a good thing, and that’s why we’re asking. It’s a relatively minor change but I always want us to be open to new ideas that could make local government work better for people.”
At least 16 other communities in Oakland County have their council, commission or township boards start at 7pm, including Oak Park, Berkley, Hazel Park, Novi and Lathrup Village.
14 could be identified that still have 7:30pm start times, including Royal Oak, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods and Clawson.
As for earlier times, Oxford starts their meetings at 6:30pm, while Pontiac and Waterford meetings begin at 6pm.
Ferndale City Council meetings are streamed live on the City’s website and available after the meetings on the website as well. They are also played live and re-played on local cable channels. For more information see http://www.ferndalemi.gov/Government/Departments/City_Clerk/City_Council_Video_Meeting_Minutes.
To join in the conversation, visit The Oakland County 115 News Hub’s Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/oc115.