In our system of self-governance, it is vital that local municipalities are as transparent and accessible as possible. While a later meeting time for the Hamilton County Commission makes strides toward this endeavor, the measure, enacted Wednesday, does not go far enough.
Before the commission’s 4 p.m. trial run beginning this past November, its meetings had, for decades, started each Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. — an unreasonable and inaccessible time for the vast majority of people who work a standard 9-to-5.
Now, starting in April, the County Commission, approving the change by a narrow 6-5 vote after months of debate, will meet every first and third Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m.
(IN THE NEWS: Hamilton County Commission moves to twice a month meetings in the evening)
While an improvement, this change fails to maximize accessibility and largely maintains the same fundamental problem as before. The new schedule may seem like a workable compromise, but in practice, it is a half-measure that still excludes far too much of the working public.