Leavenworth City Council votes unanimously to make council meetings more accessible.

LEAVENWORTH- The City of Leavenworth announces changes to the Leavenworth City Council and Committee meetings. At a normally scheduled meeting on January 24, 2023, the Leavenworth City Council voted unanimously to approve changes that will create more efficiencies, better accessibility, and more transparency for the community.

 Historically, Councilmembers have met in the evening for business meetings, where decisions are made in an open public setting, and during the workday for Study Session and Council Committee meetings, which are also open to the public but at which no decisions are made.

 City Council will continue to meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, but the meeting will begin 30 minutes later – at 7 p.m., instead of 6:30 p.m. Study Session will move from one session on the morning of the second Tuesday to two sessions just before City Council meetings from 5:30 p.m.-6:55 p.m. Council Committee meetings that historically took place in the afternoons will now move to a cadence that makes the most sense for each group or be included within the Study Sessions.

 The Housing Committee will morph into a Housing Advisory Committee; the membership and goal of the committee has yet to be decided and the discussion will continue at the next scheduled meeting. The Economic Development Committee will meet as needed beginning late winter. The Public Safety Committee will be re-envisioned to include the City’s public safety and emergency preparedness partners including representatives from Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, Chelan County Fire Department #3, Cascade Medical, and others; it will meet quarterly. The Finance, Public Works, and Parks committees will be merged with Council meetings or Study Sessions depending on the depth of the topic.

 Changes to Committees will bring a broader understanding of community needs to Councilmembers and merging committees will allow the Council to move faster on items as needed – instead of waiting a full month to review something in depth, items can be added to a Study Session agenda just two weeks in the future.

 “It’s difficult for most people to attend meetings during the workday,” said Mayor Carl Florea, “and this limits the ability to participate. If we want to be an inclusive City, we need to make our meetings accessible to everyone. I hope these changes will let our community members know we value and want their participation.” All City meeting and event information is posted on our City Calendar at www.cityofleavenworth.com/calendar. All official City meetings are open to the public. If you have questions, or for more information / para más información, please contact Christie Voos at media@cityofleavenworth.com.