A recently proposed resolution to allow the Hamilton County Commission to hold additional meetings for matters of particular public interest may be redundant to existing rules, according to the chairman of the Legal And Legislative Committee.
District 5 Commissioner Katherlyn Geter’s proposal for more Hamilton County Commission meetings to accommodate those who are unavailable during the commission’s regular Wednesday morning meetings has been tabled until the county’s legal committee can study the impact of evening meetings.
Committee Chairman and District 3 Commissioner Greg Martin told the commission that the committee found multiple rules that already allow special meetings at the will of the commission.
The first is Rule 1, which allows the commission to meet at its designated meeting time “or such time designated by the commission, pursuant to commission rules.” And the second, Rule 15, allows the commission to postpone motions “to a day certain.”
“So the commission does have the authority to meet other times under our rules,” Martin said after the meeting Wednesday.
While Geter did not address Martin’s committee report at Wednesday’s meeting, she asked her colleagues to honor the nature of her resolution, regardless of the outcome, one week earlier.
“I would hope that our intent and purpose is to always connect with individuals in the county,” Geter said. “However, we vote on this today and going forward, that should be our number one purpose.”
At the legal committee meeting, comprised of Martin, Geter and District 8 Commissioner Tim Boyd, Boyd made a motion to dismiss the resolution, but could not get a majority.
According to Martin, the mayor’s office and sheriff’s office provided a combined estimate of just over $3,000 for the cost of security and staffing during an off-hours meeting.
The committee also discussed an idea mentioned by county Mayor Jim Coppinger last week to install televisions in the foyer outside of the commission chambers for viewing during overflow meetings.
“We had some discussion about if that was a good idea or not such a good idea and, maybe, if there was an overflow crowd, having them in a jury room,” Martin said. “That was kind of related to what we were talking about. I don’t know how the commission would feel about that, but I would not be in favor of putting those TVs there, if that is something the commission would vote on, because I think it would just add noise that would impact other offices.”
In a phone call with the Times Free Press after the meeting, Martin encouraged those who are unable to attend meetings to watch them on live streams and reach out directly to commissioners with their concerns.
“In 2019, people have more access to info and propaganda than ever before,” Martin said. “The live stream is where you get information, social media is where you get propaganda.”
No date has been set for the next legal committee meeting, but committee meetings take place on Wednesdays directly before or after the commission meetings.
The committee is set to have a recommendation no later than Nov. 30. For the resolution to pass, it will need a two-thirds majority vote from the commission.
Contact Sarah Grace Taylor at staylor@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6416. Follow her on Twitter @sarahgtaylor.