In an effort to get more residents to attend meetings the town council will meet a half hour earlier.
By: Rebecca Tokarz
MONROE Starting at the end of this month, the Township Council will start its meetings a half hour earlier to see if a new meeting time will encourage more township residents to attend council meetings.
The council, by consensus, agreed Monday that its Jan. 26 agenda meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. Councilman Hank Miller suggested, and his colleagues agreed, that the earlier time be given a three-month test.
Monday’s council business meeting will be held at the current regular time, 8 p.m.
Except when major holidays cause a schedule change, the Monroe Township Council holds its agenda-setting meetings on the last Monday of the month and its official business meetings on the first Monday of the month. For example, the council will review and accept an agenda on Jan. 26, for its business meeting on Feb. 2 when it will vote on the items accepted at the agenda meeting.
At the council’s agenda-setting meeting, held on Monday of this week, Councilman Jerry Tamburro raised the question of the meeting time. He said his recollection was that council members had said previously they would reconsider the meetings’ starting times.
Mr. Miller, a resident of the Rossmoor, said more Planned Retirement Community residents, and other township residents, might attend meetings if they were held earlier.
Councilwoman Joanne Connolly said in her ward, the 3rd Ward, many of her constituents work out of town and probably preferred the later 8 p.m. starting time.
The new time will begin Jan. 26 for a trial period ending April 5, after which, if there are no problems, the 7:30 p.m. time could become the council’s meeting time.
Councilman Ben Roth, who served on the council from 1974 to 1978, said as far back as he could remember the council has met at 8 p.m.
"I think the proposed change is a good move; 7:30 is a better time. There have been times when 8 o’clock council meetings have run quite late and that’s not fair to the council members or to the members of the public who have an interest in the issue that’s extending the meeting," Mr. Roth said.