SHOULD most public comments be moved to the end of Westminster City Council meetings? (Flickr/John Diew1097)

By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune

Meetings of the Westminster City Council have run notoriously long in recent years, often past midnight or even 1 a.m. 

At Wednesday’s meeting of the council, under consideration will be an ordinance amendment proposed by Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen that oral communications on items not listed on the agenda would be moved toward the end of the meeting, while oral communications – public comments – on agenda items would continue to be heard toward the beginning, right before the consent calendar.

Additionally, the proposed amended ordinance would also give the council the power to reduce the time allotted for speakers, now at three minutes, six minutes if speaking through an interpreter.

City Manager Christine Cordon noted in a staff report that the council already has the power to extend or reduce speaker’s time, but the new language would “codify” and make clear that provision.

Public hearings would not be affected by the change.

In the past, the city council has tried to shorten meetings by requiring that they end by a certain time, but a majority of the council can extend the meeting indefinitely.

Some controversial issues – including the recent failed effort to fire popular City Manager Christine Cordon – and several recall campaigns have led to oral communications that ran to three or more hours, delaying the start of the rest of the agenda by that much.

The council will meet in closed session at 4 p.m. with the open session at 6 p.m. in its chambers at 8200 Westminster Blvd.