Jeannette council workshops to be held same week as voting meetings

The public meeting schedule for Jeannette council will change in August back to a previous format.

Council will resume having work sessions the Tuesday before Thursday voting meetings. The group voted 4-1 to make the change with Councilwoman Michelle Langdon dissenting.

Since September, council has been holding work sessions eight days prior to voting meetings.

Langdon said she livestreams the meetings on her personal Facebook page and has noticed that the majority of people who watch work sessions do so later in the week “so they don’t have to disrupt their routines.” Residents have told her that spreading the meetings out by eight days has allowed them to catch up on council business, research matters and voice their opinions to members of the group before the voting meeting.

Changing the schedule “cripples that process,” Langdon said.

She read a letter from resident Kathie Tanyer who was opposed to the meeting change.

July’s work session will be held July 12 at 1 p.m. at city hall, changed because of the July 4 holiday. The voting meeting will be held July 13 at 6 p.m.

Starting in August, the 1 p.m. work sessions will be held the Tuesday before scheduled Thursday voting meetings. Remaining voting meetings for 2023 are scheduled for Aug. 10, Sept. 14, Oct. 12, Nov. 9 and Dec. 14.

Solicitor Tim Witt said some council members didn’t see a benefit to the eight-day period between meetings.

“The whole goal is to balance out the ability for public input and encourage transparency, at the same time having streamlined operations for city business,” he said.