By Sarah Lombardo
It had the potential for being a very unpleasant night at City Hall.
Last week, the City Council discussed a list of suggested changes to the the council's meetings. The list was submitted by new councilman Stan Bogosian and represented the first time veteran and new council members were engaged in debate.
"It could have been a verbal food fight, but the issues were addressed with sincerity and civility," Councilman Don Wolfe said. "To me, it was very productive."
The list of changes covered topics ranging from making sure controversial items were placed on Wednesday night meetings' agendas, moving adjourned Tuesday night meetings to a larger room, moving the order of oral communications on the council's agenda, the possibility of televising all of the council's meetings and making the council chambers more wheelchair-accessible.
According to Bogosian, the overall purpose of list was to try to make city government more accessible, physically and theoretically.
"I hope that it is not seen as another campaign stump speech, but it is a very important concern of the people that people have access to the council," Bogosian said.
The issue of accessibility echoed many criticisms of the former council made by Bogosian during his campaign, and the discussion of the council's seeming lack of accessibility had the potential of reopening campaign war wounds.
Wolfe said he was surprised that some residents don't view the council as being open, but he gave credit to Bogosian for his "political courage."
"I admire his courage in bringing these things up immediately," Wolfe said. "I remember when I was first on the council, I didn't say anything for months, it seemed."
Bogosian said he considered the discussion a good first step and was pleased with the reaction his list received.
"It was mixed--a mixed reception, I think I would call it," he said. "I think that there were some general things that we agreed on. ...You don't get the store, but you get some items, I guess."
The discussion resulted in only one actual change to the way in which meetings were conducted: The continuation of oral communications has been moved.
"What we're doing is changing the second part of oral communications," said Mayor Gillian Moran. "People who are unable to speak before the public hearings start at 8 p.m. will now have a chance to address the council immediately following the public hearings section of the agenda."
But the discussions did end with staff being directed to look into several matters.
City Manager Harry Peacock was asked to look into the availability of a room in the Community Center in which to hold Tuesday night adjourned meetings. Bogosian said he wanted those meetings to be able to accommodate more people than they do now; currently, adjourned meetings are held in the administration room of City Hall.
Peacock was also asked to look into the costs and feasibility of televising all City Council meetings, instead of just Wednesday night meetings. The council agreed, however, that staff should not begin studying that issue until a room in the Community Center had been decided upon for the Tuesday night meetings.
The topic of wheelchair accessibility to the council could result in a change made by Moran being revoked.
Bogosian had asked that staff look into the costs of making the stage wheelchair-accessible so that anyone could address the council on the stage. But Public Works Director Larry Perlin said the building and the city's finances made it virtually impossible to do. Perlin also brought up the fact that Moran's idea of making a microphone available on stage for people to address the council could violate the Americans with Disabilities Act because wheelchair-bound residents had no way of getting up on the stage.
"If you make the stage available to some, you have to make it available to all," he said.
Moran said she would look into the matter with the city attorney.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, December 25, 1996.
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