AUBURN - The Auburn City Council may not be the only local governmental body changing when it meets.
Cayuga County legislators will consider a resolution at today's meeting to abolish the pre-meeting, which happens 45 minutes before the Legislature officially meets.
The pre-meeting was originally intended for legislators to discuss the resolutions before voting on them. But the time has recently been spent with Legislature clerk Lee Brew reading the resolution titles, said Legislature Chairman Herb Marshall during Monday night's Ways and Means Committee meeting.
"During the last several meetings, the pre-meeting was an absolute waste of time," Marshall said. "He reads 56 resolutions, and no one questions them until we're in regular session."
That lack of pre-meeting discussion may not be a bad thing, said Legislator David Pappert. With television cameras taping the body's regular meeting but not the pre-meeting, it would benefit the constituents if they could see the debate.
"You should have your discussion in public," said Pappert, R-Auburn.
Brew said the meeting used to be beneficial when organizations or companies wanted to make presentations to the Legislature, but sometimes it ran more than the allotted 45 minutes.
"I can recall some years when the business didn't get started until 9 p.m.," he said.
While most of the legislators at Monday's meeting were in favor of abolishing the pre-meeting, George Fearon, R-Springport, supported it. He argued that the meeting was another place where legislators could get clarification on a resolution if they weren't satisfied with answers in committee.
"It's not mandatory at all," he said. "Why kill it?"
In other news:
- The committee approved a resolution to hire Thomas M. Friedel as the county's new buildings and grounds superintendent. He will be in charge of all county buildings and earn a salary of $45,000.
Public Works Committee Chair Chris Palermo, R-Sterling, said it took longer than the committee had expected to fill the position. About 18 candidates were interviewed until the committee reached a unanimous decision on Friedel.
Friedel had a background in construction and developing maintenance plans for several building projects, something that the county will have him take charge of for all of its buildings.
Staff writer Liz Hacken can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 267 or elizabeth.hacken@lee.net
The pre-meeting was originally intended for legislators to discuss the resolutions before voting on them. But the time has recently been spent with Legislature clerk Lee Brew reading the resolution titles, said Legislature Chairman Herb Marshall during Monday night's Ways and Means Committee meeting.
"During the last several meetings, the pre-meeting was an absolute waste of time," Marshall said. "He reads 56 resolutions, and no one questions them until we're in regular session."
That lack of pre-meeting discussion may not be a bad thing, said Legislator David Pappert. With television cameras taping the body's regular meeting but not the pre-meeting, it would benefit the constituents if they could see the debate.
"You should have your discussion in public," said Pappert, R-Auburn.
Brew said the meeting used to be beneficial when organizations or companies wanted to make presentations to the Legislature, but sometimes it ran more than the allotted 45 minutes.
"I can recall some years when the business didn't get started until 9 p.m.," he said.
While most of the legislators at Monday's meeting were in favor of abolishing the pre-meeting, George Fearon, R-Springport, supported it. He argued that the meeting was another place where legislators could get clarification on a resolution if they weren't satisfied with answers in committee.
"It's not mandatory at all," he said. "Why kill it?"
In other news:
- The committee approved a resolution to hire Thomas M. Friedel as the county's new buildings and grounds superintendent. He will be in charge of all county buildings and earn a salary of $45,000.
Public Works Committee Chair Chris Palermo, R-Sterling, said it took longer than the committee had expected to fill the position. About 18 candidates were interviewed until the committee reached a unanimous decision on Friedel.
Friedel had a background in construction and developing maintenance plans for several building projects, something that the county will have him take charge of for all of its buildings.
Staff writer Liz Hacken can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 267 or elizabeth.hacken@lee.net
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