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When does the Evansville City Council meet?

Posted on by L. Dreeye
When does the Evansville City Council meet?

EVANSVILLE — City Council meetings will continue to start at 5:30 p.m. after council members heard from many constituents that it would be impossible to make it to earlier meetings.

All nine City Council members voted Monday to keep the 2025 meeting start time at 5:30 p.m.

A proposal was made in September to move next year’s meetings to 4pm – 90 minutes earlier – due to changes to the Civic Centre’s opening hours.

The building, which serves as the center of city and county government, was closed Sept. 3 at 4:30 p.m. at the request of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office to allow more flexibility in scheduling deputies for door searches, according to the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office. Dave Rector, CEO of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Building Authority.

The city government pays overtime for most employees who are required to work during meetings. In 2023, the City Council spent just over $10,000 on overtime at its meetings.

On Monday, Missy Mosby, D-District 2, said after speaking with her constituents that 4 p.m. would not work for people who want to attend in person – someone who’s there about a property rezoning, or someone who wants to speak out. your opinion during the public comment session.

Mary Allen, Democrat-at-large, said those she spoke with agreed that any meeting before 5 p.m. would be difficult to attend. Allen said $10,000 in overtime isn’t a huge amount of money compared to erecting a barrier to members of the public participating.

Jim Brinkmeyer, D-Sixth District, agreed with Allen. He said the council should work to save money where possible, but if the sacrifice is that the public won’t be able to attend, it’s not worth it.

Some councilors also mentioned their own conflicts related to their position on the council. Paul Greene, a Democrat at large, is an appointed member of the airport’s board of directors and said he would have to either ask them to change the meeting time or resign as a member.

Mosby said she would find herself in the same situation with the Evansville Police Merit Commission, which meets at 4:15 p.m. on the same day as City Council meetings.

Other boards have changed their meeting times, including the Vanderburgh County Commission. Meetings began at 9:30 a.m. earlier in 2024.