Council

Council Member Charlie Watson, City Manager Christine Burns, Council Member Ken Benham, Mayor Linda Hunt, Council Members Raymond Huckleberry & Pat Capek. Not pictured Ronny Merlington & Christine Fahl

Electors vote for seven Council Members “at large” meaning that Council Members represent the entire City, not a particular district.  According to Chapter IV of the City Charter, “through the departments and agencies of the City government, the Council shall provide for the public peace and health and for the safety of persons and property.”  The Council elects one of its members to serve as Mayor and one of its members to serve as Mayor Pro-tem.

• City Council meetings are held at City Hall, 66 South Main St.
• Meetings are the second Thursday of each month, and begin at 7:00 p.m.
• Workshops are held at 6:15 p.m. before each Council Meeting. The Public is welcome to attend.

Attending a City Council Meeting

If you are attending a Council meeting for the first time, the following information will be helpful:

• The meeting will be opened by the Mayor (or the Mayor Pro-Tem in the Mayor’s absence).
• Everyone in attendance stands for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda

Items to be considered by the Council are listed on the Agenda. Because there are so many matters for the Council to discuss, the agenda is prepared in advance. Items will be considered in the order listed on the agenda. Items for Council consideration are submitted to the City Manager on the Thursday (5:00 p.m.) prior to a regularly scheduled Council meeting.

Consent agenda items are routine in nature and are not discussed prior to approval unless a Council Member requests that the item be removed from the consent agenda and placed on the regular agenda.

Public Comment (Citizen Participation)

People often come to Council meetings expecting to present their particular problem and get an immediate answer. Our experience has shown that many of these problems could have been solved much faster if they had been taken up directly with the city department providing the service.

Anyone presenting a problem as should realize that the Council will not have specific information available during the meeting to provide a complete reply.

Everyone addressing the Council as part of the Public Comment portion must give their name and address first for the official record of the meeting. A microphone is provided at the podium to enable the entire audience to hear your comments.

Public Hearings

Public hearings are scheduled near the beginning of the meeting and are generally held for one of the following reasons:

• ordinance changes
• special assessments
• budget adoption

Meetings of the City Council are open to the public and are usually attended by members of the media.