The Wright City board of aldermen met August 10 for less than 10 minutes. There was no public discussion of reports from the directors of city departments.
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The Aug. 10 Wright City Board of Aldermen meeting lasted less than 10 minutes.
That was in contrast to previous meetings, which have typically lasted longer than 50 minutes. Meetings in other Warren County communities share a similar length with the shortest meetings most often occurring in Warrenton, with some recent meetings being only about 15 minutes long.
“We had a very limited agenda, which was covered and every participant of the meeting was given the opportunity to ask questions or make comments,” Mayor Michelle Heiliger said in an email to The Record. “I did not feel the meeting was rushed.”
During the meeting, aldermen postponed a discussion on police vehicles to the next meeting. This is a topic that was discussed at previous board of aldermen meetings and at the Aug. 7 board of alderman workshop meeting.
Police Chief Tom Canavan told aldermen there was no new information to present at the Aug. 10 meeting, leading to its postponement.
Aldermen also approved a resolution approving and authorizing a contract between the city and WM financial strategies.
The meeting opened with a public hearing on the city’s 2023 tax rate, but no one from the public spoke. There were no other public comments made at the beginning of the meeting.
The biggest change from previous Wright City meetings was a lack of verbal reports. Heiliger told aldermen the reports were in their packets, but there was no public discussion.
At previous meetings, city officials are usually present to give their reports but at this meeting, none were read aloud.
“We are reviewing our reporting requirements from city staff,” Heiliger said in the email. “There have been no decisions made as to permanent changes, but we are working to be respectful of everyone’s time while continuing to meet the expectation of our citizen base.”
Board of Alderman President Ramiz Hakim said in a separate email to The Record that members of the public can visit City Hall to get copies of the reports.
The aldermen then approved the bills and heard a few announcements before Heiliger read the notice that the board would move into closed session.
During previous meetings, after the notice is read, aldermen typically take a short break and the members of the public who attended the meeting mingle for a few moments.
But the board was quick to move into closed session at the Aug. 10 meeting, though Heiliger said there was no urgency to begin that part of the meeting.
“I have said many times that we are very lucky to have the staff and elected officials that we do,” Heiliger said in the email. “We must be cognizant of the time we require of every person who works for us and gives their time to our organization.”
About the author: Jason Koch is the editor of The Warren County Record, and covers local news and government for the newspaper. He has won multiple awards from both the Indiana and Illinois APME and from the Illinois Press Association. He can be reached at 636-456-6397 or at jason@warrencountyrecord.com
