Yakima City Council To Resume Study Sessions

In my six years on City Council in Yakima I came to really appreciate the Council Study Session so I was pleased to see they were coming back. Council made that decision during the regular meeting on February 2nd.

A City news release sets the schedule as study sessions at 5:00 pm on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month beginning next Tuesday, February 9th with topics to include topics such as public safety, the Housing Action Plan and financial sustainability.

Obviously the Coronavirus Pandemic has made any kind of communication more difficult but at the same time, communication is key to effective government. It was my experience that councilmembers never spent nearly enough time talking to each other. The regular council sessions don't provide enough time for the the depth and detail that a lot of important subjects require, The study session basically herds council together and induces conversation and homework that is often sorely missing during regular council sessions. In the foreseeable future, the herding will take place on zoom.

They will air live on Y-PAC, Charter Spectrum Channel 194, and on the City’s website at Live Stream | City Council (yakimawa.gov)

One of my frustrations as a councilman was the decision that there was to be no public comment during the special meetings. The idea of a study session is to chew on a topic from a variety of angles and perspectives. Sometimes the general public knows the solution before council does. I think it's a mistake to box them out. Maybe if I ran again......

Agendas for City Council regular meetings and special meetings are all available at Agendas and Minutes | City Council (yakimawa.gov)

Yakima City Council To Resume Study Sessions – Good Idea!