Laserfiche WebLink
noon meetings because it would interrupt his work day. He thought attendance in the evening council <br />meetings was better than attendance at the noon sessions he attended prior to becoming a councilor. <br /> <br /> Mr. Kelly, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to return the council's Wednesday work <br /> sessions to 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly spoke in support of the motion. He said that whatever its faults, the time worked well for many <br />years. <br /> <br />Mr. Fart wanted the council to take the vote with Ms. Nathanson present. He asked if Ms. Nathanson would <br />be at the next council meeting. Mr. Johnson said yes. <br /> <br />Mr. Fart indicated that he would vote for the motion so he could move that the council reconsider it at the next <br />meeting. Mr. Rayor agreed with Mr. Fart, saying he would also move to reconsider if necessary, although he <br />preferred to table the motion. <br /> <br /> Mr. Rayor, seconded by Mr. Pap~, to table the motion to the next meeting. The motion <br /> failed, 4:3; Mr. Farr, Mr. Pap~, and Mr. Rayor voting yes. <br /> <br /> The motion passed, 6:1; Mr. Rayor voting no. <br /> <br />Three-Minute Time Limit <br /> <br />The council moved on to discussion of the three-minute time limit for council comments. <br /> <br />Mr. Rayor said he would prefer the time allotted for councilors' comments be shorter. He thought council <br />comments could be briefer than they were. <br /> <br />Mr. Farr agreed with Mr. Rayor. He said that the council spent too much time in meetings, and many people <br />shared his observation. He said the reason the council spent too much time in meetings was because people <br />repeated themselves. He wanted to adhere to strict time limits, and for councilors to search inside themselves <br />and determine whether they could make the same point in fewer words. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner said that the first few years he was on the council there was no time limit and it worked fine, but <br />that approach took discipline. He was not troubled by the three-minute limit and said the timer was a nuisance <br />to watch but not intrusive. He disagreed to some degree with Mr. Rayor. There was an advantage to brevity, <br />but the council format was based on discussion and persuasion. He agreed with Mr. Farr that councilors <br />repeated themselves, but as the councilors represented their constituents and positions it was important they <br />attempt to persuade and communicate. He thought for the most part the council's discussions were highly <br />effective and helpful, and he found the information he heard useful. Mr. Meisner said that he also got <br />impatient, but he did not want to limit comments for that reason. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly agreed with Mr. Meisner's remarks, adding that he appreciated having the timers because it gave <br />him a discipline he might not otherwise have. He thanked Council Coordinator Kate Rowles for operating the <br />timer. <br /> <br /> MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 31, 2001 Page 3 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />