Change council meeting to be more responsive to citizens

By James "Jim" Franklin

We should change how we conduct our council meetings.

On the other hand, just last month the City Council spent almost an hour discussing the installation of cabinets in the new million-dollar visitor's center. The discussion ended without a decision.

We need to change the way our current council meetings are conducted. Too many times issues that draw hundreds of people to council meetings last into the early hours of the morning. Why not go back to conducting town meetings. When we have an issue that effects a large number of residents why not hold the meeting on a Saturday morning? We could also use a larger venue, such as the high school auditorium, so everyone can participate.

The other procedure I would like to see changed is how the Mayor and Council handle public comments. Under the current rules a resident is given 3 minutes to speak and that is it, no response from our elected officials. I would like to change that to allow a two-way discussion. If someone has an issue why not answer it right then and there? After all, the entire city management team is sitting there. If they don't know the answer on the spot or it is something that might be of a personal nature they could at least take it under advisement. The council could then either report back at the next meeting or contact the person directly with an answer.

I believe it is an insult to the residents of Palm Springs to simply be ignored. It takes courage to stand up and speak at a council meeting, and those who do should be treated with some respect.

Palm Springs has a reputation as being "business unfriendly." It's not the city staff that's unfriendly and it's certainly not the residents, it's the people at the top, the Mayor and the City Council.

A few simple changes in how we handle our council meeting will not only reduce the hours of unproductive discussion, but go a long way in changing the perception that City Hall is unfriendly to not only business, but more importantly the residents of our great city.