Candidates split over meeting schedule
FD mayoral, council hopefuls divided on how often to meetBy BILL SHEA, Messenger staff writer
Fort Dodge City Council members have been debating just how often they should meet.
That debate might continue next year, because the candidates for mayor and City Council are divided over the issue of whether the governing body should meet twice a month or four times a month.
For decades, the council met on the first four Mondays of each month.
About five years ago, the meeting schedule was altered slightly. The council continued to meet four times a month, but two of those sessions were designated as workshops at which issues were discussed but no votes were conducted.
The meeting schedule was trimmed to two monthly sessions in April in what was initially declared a temporary move for the summer.
Last month, the council began working to make the two meetings a month schedule permanent. Council members have twice voted 4-3 to continue that setup. The change must be approved one more time to become effective.
However, after new council members are seated in January, they could again alter the meeting schedule.
Here, in the latest of series of stories on local issues, the candidates for mayor and City Council express their views on the meeting schedule.
MAYOR
Councilman Matt Bemrich: ''I believe in the two meetings a month,'' he said. ''I think we can conduct our business in that amount of time. I don't think we had any trouble to date getting our business done in two meetings a month.''
Bemrich has voted in favor of making the two meetings per month system permanent.
Councilwoman Cindy Litwiller: Litwiller has voted against making the two meetings per month system permanent. She said she wants to go back to the former arrangement of having two meetings and two workshops each month. She called that the ''two plus two schedule.''
''It seemed to work very well,'' she said. ''I think with the new council coming in trying to do everything on two nights will be very difficult. I also think it gives greater access to the public.''
According to Litwiller, when there are just two meetings a month, the city staff sometimes has to brief the council members on issues on weeks when there are no meetings. To do that while complying with the state's open meetings law, the staff has to brief the council members individually or in pairs. That, she said, is a very inefficient use of time for staffers and elected officials.
COUNCIL AT-LARGE
Andy Fritz: ''I agree with the every two weeks schedule,'' Fritz said. ''I think four council meetings is too much.''
He added that having two council meetings a month gives the elected officials ''more time to research the background of issues and it also gives the public more time to become educated about the issues so that they can bring their opinions to the council.''
Eugene Newsome: ''I'm in favor of each Monday evening,'' Newsome said. ''Twice a month that don't seem adequate enough.''
The candidate added that he would support having meetings on Saturday mornings if necessary.
Dennis O'Farrell: ''I think the City Council should meet weekly, four times a month,'' O'Farrell said. ''It's a greater service to the public to go over the items and let people come the microphone to discuss things. The more time you have to talk about those things the better outcome you're going to have.''
He said if he's elected, he'll lead an effort to go back to having four council meetings a month.
Robert ''Barney'' Patterson: ''I think we should meet four times a month,'' Patterson said. ''I just think that if we meet four times then that's that many more opportunities where people can come down and voice their opinions. I also think if there are four meetings a month they will be shorter and we can have a workshop afterwards without it lasting all night the way it sometimes does.''
COUNCIL, 2ND WARD
Rita Carlson: She favors sticking with two meetings a month.
''I believe the current schedule is working quite well,'' she said.
Carlson noted that additional council meetings can be scheduled when necessary. She added that having two meetings a month gives the city staff more preparation time between the sessions.
Councilman Don Wilson: Wilson has voted against making the two meetings a month system permanent.
''I really feel we should be there four times a month,'' he said. ''I think the citizens deserve that.''
Wilson said that when there are just two meetings a month, there are a lot of items to take action on at each meeting. He added that too many of them get placed on the consent agenda, which is a listing of items to be approved on one vote with no debate.
''There is just an awful lot to absorb,'' he said. ''That's why I really feel we need to go back to four meetings.''
COUNCIL, 3RD WARD
Margy Halverson-Collins: ''I think two times a month is enough,'' Halverson-Collins said. ''All of the cities that are of Fort Dodge's size or larger meet twice a month. There's only one exception, Waterloo, but they do not have a city manager.''
Richard Higgins: The candidate said he is in favor of having four meetings a month. He said he doesn't believe council members can give their full attention to the issues if they meet twice a month.
''I think it's very important,'' Higgins said. ''You get some more discussions on the issues that are very important to the people.''
COUNCIL, 4TH WARD
Tom Hemann: ''I would personally say they should have meetings four times a month,'' Hemann said. ''I feel you would be more accessible to the public.''
He said he wants to return to the former schedule of two business meetings and two workshops each month.
Kelly Hindman: ''I like the idea of twice a month,'' he said. ''If you review all the major cities in Iowa it's just Fort Dodge and Waterloo that meet four times a month and Waterloo doesn't have a city manager.''
''We still maintain the ability to meet more frequently if that becomes necessary,'' he added.
''I just think it would be a lot more efficient and less costly if we meet twice a month,'' Hindman said.
Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net
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Samiam
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10-19-09 6:10 PM
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updated: Gambling revenues from Prairie Meadows Race Track and Casino in Altoona pay for about $5.6 million in community development and betterment grants the county gives each year. hmmm we was pretty cheap huh fyi they loose money on the horse racing
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Samiam
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10-18-09 1:07 PM
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I would like to know which one of the sitting council members help cut this backdoor deal for the casino and which ones are planning to vote for it. $550,000 sounds like they bought us cheap comparing to the other towns that get millions so they get us pretty cheap or is there a kickback somewhere? I say we vote whoever votes for the casino deal since it lacks any community input or open forum on the deal we vote out of office since they had to cut this deal behind the voters back as such they represent themselves not the voters.
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kellibrown
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10-18-09 12:20 PM
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My votes are for Litwiller, Fritz, Patterson, Higgins, Herman and Wilson. This would make a great council. Wakeup you are right, I viewed all answers and came up with the same words. Sounds like Collins and Hindman are in the same class.
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wakeup
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10-18-09 12:11 PM
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interesting voting this time. Five all four voted 2 meetings per month and 8 are for 4 meetings per month. Mainly all 8 stated it gives people many opportunities to voice their opinions on issues. There is one interesting opinion coming out of ward 3 and 4. Both candidates had the identical answer to the question. Sound to me like maybe they both had the same tutor. Someone is giving them words on what to say since both are new. My vote would be for Higgins in Ward 3 and Herman in Ward 4. This is just my feeling but if we voted in Collins and Hindman we could be back to the old city hall ways and staff. Think before you vote citizens.
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gummybear
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10-18-09 10:20 AM
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Tom Hemann you get my vote!!!
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