City Mulls Over Earlier Meeting Times

In a move that is sure to delight retirees and irritate rush hour warriors, the Burnsville City Council has decided to hold their meetings at an earlier time—5:30 in the afternoon, just when traffic snarls are just beginning to dissipate.

The measure came up at a meeting on March 12. As Mayor Elizabeth Kautz described it, the idea came from a single business applicant, who had several consultants in tow. The applicant was eager to catch a flight out of town, and the consultants were also being paid by the hour. 

"He liked the earlier time because it was cost effective," Kautz explained.

When Kautz shared the idea with city staff, the feedback was good. Public Works Director Steve Albrecht  said that the streets department had already put earlier meeting times into practice, based on the preferences of citizens who showed up at city-sponsored open house meetings, which mainly concern road construction projects.

"Of the people who come to those meetings, 90 percent come at 5 p.m. or earlier," Albrecth said. "To be fair, of those, 75 percent of them are retired or seniors, but there are others who say that they like to come on their way home from work."

At least two council members expressed concern that moving the meeting time up may shut out those who work 9-to-5's outside of Burnsville.

"For people who work in downtown Minneapolis that might be a problem," said Council Member Mary Sherry.

Council Member Dan Kealey said the he might have a time conflict himself, if the measure was passed.

"My family would like it, but I'm not sure my boss or work schedule would," Kealey said. "That's pushing it a lot."

Thus far, public opinion seems to be slanted against the new proposed meeting time. According to an online poll conducted by the city itself, about 58 percent of respondents prefer the current meeting time. About 20 percent say the earlier meeting time would be better, and 18.4 percent have no preference. Just under 5 percent answered "other."

The measure will officially come before the council at its next meeting. If approved, the new meeting time would take effect on April 16.

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