Meetings of the Chapel Hill Town Council routinely last longer than 6 hours, going into the wee hours of the next morning.
While the meetings are a serious time commitment for all those involved, the council shouldn’t sacrifice public participation to expedite the meetings.
At the council’s recent planning retreat, a lengthy discussion occurred regarding the length of the meetings. Several council members were quick to squash any proposals that limited public discourse.
Chapel Hill has many knowledgeable citizens and should pride itself on their civic-minded, engaged attitudes.
Thankfully, many council members were aware of how lucky the town is to have as many interested citizens as it does.
Other complaints have arisen — from council members and citizens alike — about the length of discussion on some issues. However, the town shouldn’t prevent its representatives from holding discussions and involved debates in order to make informed decisions.
Council members also discussed the idea of implementing time limits for both sides of the discussion — for and against. But council member Lee Storrow notes this would be a worrisome step toward polarization.
Any given issue will not always leave two clear-cut sides. The council should not cut those residing in the middle of the issue out of the discussion.
The council won’t always know which issues will become contentious but should streamline its agenda to best make use of time.
