Hamilton County Commission votes to meet twice a month at later time

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Hamilton County Commission has once again changed their meeting time.

They will now meet on the first and third Wednesdays every month at 5 p.m.

This is down to twice a month.

They have been meeting at 4 p.m. weekly four times a month, which in itself was a change from the traditional 9:30 a.m. meetings.

This means that each individual meeting itself will be longer now as previously introduced resolutions will be voted in the same meeting that new resolutions are introduced.

While some say the change in time gives more accessibility to the public, others say reducing the amount of meetings per month will cause confusion.

Commissioner Joe Graham said that he was confused on, “We’re trying to make it easier and more accessible for our constituents to come to a meeting, (but) they’re gonna have to scratch their head and say, “Is it this Wednesday? No wait, no, no,  it’s next Wednesday! So it’s too confusing.”

Meanwhile, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp stated, “For years the County Commission has been asked to move its meetings to the end of the day to encourage more public participation. Today, six Republicans moved commission meetings to 5 pm twice a month. This is a huge victory for the public, especially Hamilton County’s working class families. Half the number of commission meetings, occurring after work, will make county government more accessible and more transparent for the people it serves!”

The biweekly meetings will begin on April 1, they will still meet next Wednesday, March 25.