The majority of Northglenn City Council did not support a recommendation for official notes to be taken at its study sessions.
Councilwoman Kim Snetzinger, Ward IV, made the recommendation during council’s Jan. 11 regular meeting.
“Currently our study sessions, we don’t have any meeting notes or anything from those meetings that kind of can be a record for what our decisions are and what kind of direction we provide to staff,” she said.
Snetzinger said her concern is that she felt things slipped through the cracks, and it would be easier to respond to citizen inquiries if notes were taken, instead of having to listen or watch recordings of the meetings.
Councilwoman Leslie Carrico, Ward II, initially seemed supportive of the recommendation, saying it may be helpful to have notes for members who miss a session.
“It probably wouldn’t hurt to kind of hear what everybody said,” she said.
Mayor Joyce Downing spoke against the recommendation. She said that study sessions had a more conversational feel to them, and that she thought the clerk taking notes was a waste of time.
“If there is something I want to keep a record of, I keep my own notes so I can decipher them the way I want to decipher them,” she said.
Councilman Gene Wieneke, Ward IV, suggested that since the city clerk already took notes during the sessions that she share some with council to see if it was helpful. No other council member seemed interested in this suggestion, and Snetzinger said she didn’t want the clerk to have to go through that work if other members weren’t interested.
Downing added that most council members take their own notes, and “the real decision is made at our formal meetings and then you have all the notes.”
Snetzinger quickly responded, “I would disagree with that.”
Downing’s said, “That’s OK, you can disagree.”
Council generally meets for study sessions at 6 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of the month in Council Chambers, 11701 Community Center Drive. Council does not take official action during these meetings, and they are open to the public. Residents can also view or listen to recordings of the study sessions by going to webdocs.northglenn.org/.
