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Show Ml Cuts Council Meetings ings already scheduled in February Feb-ruary and there hearings must be held in open, regularly scheduled sche-duled meetings. By GARY R. BLODGETT BOUNTIFUL Beginning with the second Wednesday in March (March II) Bountiful City Council will meet only twice a month, instead of the first four Wednesdays of each month. THE COUNCIL unanimously unanimous-ly approved the change of the regularly scheduled council meetings beginning in March to the second and fourth Wednesdays. These meetings will be held in the Council Chamber of Bountiful City Hall and will begin at 7 p.m. However, the council will meet nearly every other (first and third) Wednesdays in study sessions that will also be open to the public and the press so as not to violate the Sunshine Law which restricts closed meetings except in special spe-cial curcumstances, it was noted. IN THE "study sessions," however, no action can be taken and all matters discussed in these meetings must be presented pre-sented again in public meetings on the second and fourth Wednesdays for official action, ac-tion, according to City Manager Mana-ger Tom Hardy who made the proposal to the council last Wednesday night. Mr. Hardy said there are several reasons for holding regular city council meetings every other Wednesday instead in-stead of each week. "ONE MAJOR factor in the change," he said, "is to allow more time between a city planning plan-ning commission meeting and the city council meeting which in the past has been held the following night. Council members mem-bers need more time to digest some of the information that comes out of these (planning) meetings." Also, additional information is often needed by the council before action on a matter is taken an J it takes more than a day or two to obtain this information, infor-mation, the city manager explained. ex-plained. "WITH REGULARLY scheduled meetings held two weeks apart, it will enable me to provide the council with the information and also give the council more time to study the information before taking a vote," Mr. Hardy said. "In reference to the planning plan-ning commission, which meets on the first and third Tuesday, it would give myself and the council a full week instead of just 24 hours to review commission matters being brought before the council." EACH COUNCIL member and the mayor expressed favor in the twice-monthly meetings schedule as well as holding "study sessions" as needed at review council matters. They said the new schedule was delayed de-layed until March because there are several public hear- |