Everett council adds six night meetings per year

EVERETT — City Council members decided Wednesday, some of them a bit grudgingly, that nighttime is the right time for more meetings.

After listening to half a dozen residents urge the council to hold more night meetings, members voted 6-1 to add six night meetings a year.

"Political changes happen in small steps," said Councilman Mark Olson, who proposed the change. "It’s still an important step."

Councilman Bob Overstreet, a longtime supporter of having at least two night meetings every month of the year, voted against the seasonal schedule change.

The council will now meet at 6:30 p.m. the first and third Wednesdays of each month from Oct. 1 to March 31.

During the summer months, when public turnout at meetings is sparse, the council will return to its normal schedule of three 8:30 a.m. meetings a month and one evening meeting.

Night meetings are difficult because they cut into council members’ family time, Councilman Ron Gipson said.

But Gipson said that after doing things "for 28 years one way," the council is taking this step to try to be flexible.

Last year, the City Council voted down a proposal to have an additional night meeting a month. Shortly after the November election, the council reversed its decision and agreed to have two night meetings a month for a three-month trial period.

Overstreet said he was pleased at the public turnout during the night meeting test run. He said he’s been taking attendance since late December, and the average number of people at evening meetings is 26. The average at morning meetings is four.

Some Everett residents including Bill Higley of the South Forest Park neighborhood, were pleased with the change.

"I’m tickled pink they met us halfway," he said. "For me, it was a learning experience that government doesn’t move at the same speed as the private sector does."

For others, like Michele Hoverter of Lowell, it wasn’t enough.

"The part that really frosts my cookies is that they get elected and they get a salary and benefits," she said.

Paid City Council members should accommodate the city’s residents, who volunteer their time when they go to council meetings and want to be able to attend more meetings, she said.

Mary Jane Anderson of northeast Everett said in terms of meeting schedules, the city doesn’t measure up to others in the county or the state.

Anderson said Everett is the only City Council in Snohomish County with daytime meetings. She also looked at similar-sized cities such as Spokane, Bellingham and Bellevue, and all have more night meetings than Everett, she said.

The seasonal schedule change "is far short of what we were looking for," she said. "And how much more confusing can you make it to the public?"

Olson said some City Council members already have a couple of night meetings a week for committee or county obligations.

"It has nothing to do with not wanting to accommodate the public or to discourage them from coming," he said. "I think our council meetings are better the more people that are there and willing to participate."

Councilwomen Brenda Stonecipher and Marian Krell suggested that perhaps City Council meetings aren’t the ideal place for council-constituent dialogue. Krell cited a recent Saturday morning meeting on golf fees that drew more than 100 residents and spurred a lively discussion.

"That was worth spending the time to do," Krell said. "But to have night meetings just to have extra people … I don’t know whether that’s productive or not productive."

Olson said he understands concerns about access to City Council meetings, but it can be frustrating when people "are coming to night meetings to talk about coming to night meetings."

"It’s a totally pragmatic kind of issue, with all of the other major issues that we confront in our community," he said. "We’ve got some financial issues to deal with, development issues … we need to get the community to look at other things and talk about other issues."

Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.