- November 22, 2024
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In the future, Volusia County Council meetings may be capped at six hours, unless decided by a majority vote.
The County Council voted 6-0 just after midnight on Wednesday, Nov. 20, to move forward with a time limit on its meetings, a vote that took place at the end of a 9-hour meeting that began at 4 p.m. the previous day. The discussion began after County Councilman Danny Robins posed the question to his fellow council members.
"I'm down with nighttime meetings, but sometimes nothing good comes after certain times, like 10,11," Robins said.
He added that the council often has to make decisions on agenda items that cost the county millions of dollars, and often times, council members have been up as early as 4 in the morning. Robins also mentioned staff members and the public who have to stay up late with them and go to work early the next morning.
Councilman Troy Kent said if Robins was OK with continuing to hold meetings in the evenings — council members have expressed wanting to only hold morning meetings in the past — he was OK with putting a time limit.
The time limit, if approved by the council at a future meeting, will mean that closing comments by the council will also be cut off, if the six hour time limit is reached and there is no vote to extend the meeting.
County Councilman David Santiago suggested also reducing the time for the public to speak from the customary three minutes for efficiency purposes when the council is discussing topics that bring a lot of public participation.
"I don't think we should stop anybody from talking, but considering limiting that time a little bit more for efficiency purposes," Santiago said. "... We do it in the Legislature all the time."
