Scheduling Wheeling City Council meetings at times agreeable to everyone who may want to attend is a laudable goal - but impossible to achieve. For every city resident who thinks a given time and day of the week is perfect, there are others who see it as out of the question.
Council's regular meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Mayor Andy McKenzie has said changes are being considered.
One option is to hold meetings on the first and third Mondays of each month, the mayor explained. Times would be adjusted, too, with one meeting a month at noon and the second at 5:30 p.m.
Some council members like that idea - but others don't.
There are many pros and cons regarding both the current schedule and the idea outlined by McKenzie. For example, some people may prefer meetings at 5:30 p.m. so they can go to them directly after work. Others may need time to go home first, perhaps to take care of children. And while noon meetings may appeal to retired residents and some who work in the city, they may be impractical for those who cannot leave their workplaces at that time.
As McKenzie noted, any change in the meeting schedule will have to go through the Rules Committee, then be approved by the full council.
If the idea is to increase turnout at council meetings, public opinion should be the guide on whether the schedule is changed - and whether some option other than that outlined by the mayor would be better. Simply changing the schedule based on a hunch it may be better for Wheeling residents should not be considered, however.
