Endless Summer for CR Council?

As expected, Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett wants to make his two-meetings-per-month summer council meeting schedule the new normal.

It's been swell, he says. Staff members had time to go on vacation. There's more time to prepare issues. Heck, the mayor even had time to grow a goatee. Haven't seen him in a couple of weeks, so I'm not sure whether  he kept it or not.

Don't trust anyone with a goatee, by the way.

Frankly, I'm torn. I don't think the council's productivity has suffered much under the new schedule, but I also think the public should get a weekly shot at bending the council's ear out in the open. I lean toward four meetings monthly, but I can live with two.

I hope it's not a dreaded  slippery slope. Maybe Corbett's ultimate goal is for the council to hold one, four-month meeting each year. Like the Legislature.

Seriously, I think the real problem with council meetings is the agenda format, which puts the regular agenda, where nearly all of the most interesting issues are hashed out, near the end of the meeting. I'm not sure why folks should have to sit through hours of administrative underbrush before they get to see the council debate the issues they care about. The council should roll into the meaty stuff up front.

That's especially important under a new schedule. The underbrush can get pretty think in two weeks' time.

Maybe there's a rule, ordinance or law I don't know about that would preclude such an adjustment. But if not, I'd like to see a change.