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VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA
, A .• Post Office Box 3273 • 357 Tequesta Drive
41
.� , Tequesta, Florida 33469-0273 • (305) 746-7457
MEMORANDUM:
TO: Village Council
FROM: Thomas G. Bradford, Village Manager
SUBJECT: Consideration of Changing the Day and Time for
Village Council Meetings
DATE: January 20, 1988
After nineteen months as Village Manager and being a part of
no less than forty Village Council meetings, I have come to the
conclusion that it would be in the best interests of the Village
to conduct its Village Council meetings during morning hours. I
have discussed this matter with Village Department Heads, several
key Village employees and the Village Attorney and it is the
consensus of these personnel that Village Council meetings be
held during morning hours. The primary reason for giving
consideration to morning Village Council meetings is that the key
Village participants are simply tired, hungry and/or exhausted at
7:00 P.M. , and thereafter, placing the Village at a distinct
disadvantage when dealing with citizens, attorneys, engineers,
architects and other representatives of the people who have
business to conduct with the Village Council.
Observation of various members of the Village Council,
Staff and others will reveal the truth of these statements.
After all, it really goes against the grain of human nature for
one to be gearing up for a major event during that time of day
when people usually gear down from the days ' work and activities.
Consider the following in this regard:
1 . Twenty-Eight percent of Tequesta's population is age 65
and over. Since most persons in this age category are
retired or semi-retired I would assume that these people
would find a morning Village Council meeting more conducive
to attendance than a night meeting.
2. Nineteen percent of Tequesta' s population is under the
age of eighteen. Since these persons cannot vote and
generally do not pay taxes such persons generally do not
have any need to attend Village Council meetings except
perhaps for a school project in which case the student would
be excused in order to attend.
Memo: Village Council
January 6, 1988
Page 2-
3. While it is true that only 24% of Palm Beach County' s
local governments conduct Council meetings during regular
working hours, the list includes some of the more affluent
and progressive local governments such as Gulf Stream,
Highland. Beach, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge, Palm Beach, West
Palm Beach and Palm Beach County.
4. Morning Council meetings would allow Councilmembers and
Staff to be at their best and brightest- ready, willing and
able to defend the interests of Tequesta without having to
fight off fatigue.
5. There would be no undue burden upon Department Heads if
they were required to attend all Village Council meetings,
except in cases of emergency, if such were held during
morning hours. The potential benefits that accrue to the
Village when discussing various issues when a Department
Head is present are innumerable.
6. To the benefit of Village Councilmembers who work,
realistic time limits as to the length of the Council
Meeting can be implemented and strictly adhered to. For
example, a two hour limit on a meeting which commences at
9:30 A.M. would appear reasonable. Knowing this the Village
Manager could adjust the agenda accordingly.
7. I firmly believe that it is a misconception to believe
that a member of the public would be prevented from being
heard if meetings were held during normal working hours.
The truth of the matter is "where there' s a will there's a
way. " If the issue is significant enough the public will be
at the meeting to vent their concerns even if it should
entail time off from the work place.
It is suggested that consideration be given to holding
Village Council meetings commencing at 9:30 A.M. on the second
and fourth Thursday of each month, keeping open the option of
only having a monthly meeting as this is the minimum requirement
of the Village Charter. Implementation of such would enhance our
efforts toward preparing Tequesta for the future.
Your consideration of this request will be greatly
appreciated. This matter will be an item of discussion at the
Village Council meeting of January 26, 1988.
TGB/krb
cc: All Department Heads
John C. Randolph, Village Attorney