Langley City Council meeting time changed back again

Some members of the public told the council they opposed the first change.

After making the decision last month to roll back the meeting start time a half hour earlier to 5 p.m., the Langley City Council decided Monday night to revert back to meeting at 5:30 p.m., following outcry from some members of the public opposing the change.

Councilmember Craig Cyr brought the item to the council’s attention, saying he felt it was a rushed decision. He abstained from the original vote, citing support for either start time.

“Nonetheless, our inboxes have lit up a little bit with business owners and others who don’t support the time change to 5 p.m.,” he said.

At the council’s Feb. 22 meeting, Councilmember Harolynne Bobis proposed the earlier start time, citing concerns about lengthy meetings running late into the night and conflicting with her work schedule, which requires her to catch the 4:40 a.m. ferry to the mainland.

Councilmember Thomas Gill was the sole member to oppose the change in meeting time. The half hour between 5 and 5:30 p.m., as he pointed out, allows city staff, business owners and other working members of the public some time to get home and have a meal or snack before the meeting begins.

At the meeting Monday night, Councilmember Rhonda Salerno said she was not going to rescind her vote for the earlier start time.

“Let’s give it a shot and give it a try,” she said. “I think people will appreciate it eventually and I think there’s always hardship with change, but it’s only a half an hour and it’s only for six months.”

Bobis, however, said she would rescind hers.

“Since it’s 5:47 and I’m just now joining the meeting for lots of reasons, I will rescind my vote and we can go back to 5:30,” she said. “All I’m asking is that we stay on track so that I at least get dinner when the meeting’s over.”

“Since it was on my behalf, I think that I’m the one, most logically, who can do this,” she added.

Leanne Finlay, a member of the public, said she supported starting later. She pointed out that other neighboring municipalities have later start times for their council meetings.

“People need to eat and they need to get through their work and be able to sit down and refocus on a public meeting,” she said.

Bobis explained again why she had advocated for the earlier start time.

“How it feels to me personally is that we’re making a decision that you have to be retired to do this, be a council person,” she said.

In the end, the council unanimously voted in favor of beginning the meeting at 5:30 p.m. again.