Staff recommends Council approve moving city council meetings from Mondays to Tuesdays on second reading of the Ordinance amending sections 2-211 and 2-226 of Billings, Montana City Code.

During the December 6, 2021, work session, Council directed staff to modify city code to consider shifting regular business meetings and work sessions from Mondays to Tuesdays. January 10, 2022, this change was approved on first reading.  Our goal is to maximize the effectiveness of our city council meetings by improving meeting preparation.  We are also trying to maximize the consistency and predictability of when council meetings are held.  Whenever a holiday falls on a Sunday or Monday, council meetings are moved to Tuesdays.  Four national holidays are always on Mondays, in 2022, five (5) holidays are observed on Mondays and no (0) holidays are on Tuesdays.  In Montana, we observe election day for our federal elections (every other year).    

One of the concerns expressed about the shift is that we may be creating more scheduling conflicts by moving to Tuesdays.  I reached out to several church congregations (6), SD2, Billings Central, MSUB and Rocky Mountain College to discuss their event calenders.  I will share there feedback once I have it.  In the conversations I've had so far, both the churches and schools recognize Sundays and Wednesday evenings are popular church activities, however most have events most days of the week.  

From a practical standpoint, I believe this change will provide additional time for staff and council to prepare for council meetings.  This statement is predicated on the observation that Council members most commonly read their council packet over the weekend, resulting in clarification questions being received prior to the start of business on Monday mornings.  If this is accurate, staff and the council will have two business days to exchange information and prepare for the meeting vs one.  This also helps staff to address council members' questions and concerns about agenda items and packet materials during normal business hours instead of over the weekend.  This change will also remove a scheduling conflict for citizens who may have an interest in attending both the city council and a school district two meeting since both local boards currently meet at the same time.

A few boards that currently meet on Tuesday's will likely move their meetings from Tuesdays to a different night of the week.  This will be the case for the planning board since it is common that staff is needed for both the city council and planning/zoning meetings.  Over time, we may see the neighborhood task forces also move their meetings away from Tuesday's.  All in all, I believe the positive impact of moving council meetings to Tuesdays will out way the inconvenience of these other meeting shifts.

Mayor and Council
City staff
Members of the public

City Council may:

• Approve; or,
• Not Approve

There is no direct cost associated with this change.