During the opportunity for the public to address the council, Doug Champ, a local resident, argued that the 15-minute Housing Committee meeting is not enough time for the committee to accomplish anything substantial. Champ argued that the Housing Committee members “struggle” to “even get a few things done” due to the length and format of the meeting, especially when each member of the community is welcome to address the committee for up to five minutes each.

“I do not understand in a community when the housing and the development needs are so critical, why this committee has 15 minutes to do the job,” he said. “I know the wheels of government run slow and ideas are difficult to entertain, but I would suggest either the remainder of this year for the existing mayor or the mayor who is elected and the new mayor who is wanting to be elected change the concept of this committee from Housing to Housing and Community Development and meet for 30 minutes.”

According to Champ, the Housing Committee has many responsibilities to consider throughout the city, especially during the current construction season. As a result, Champ proposed that a new Housing and Community Development Committee be organized with at least two City Council members that would be available for a meeting to start at 6:30 p.m. twice a month, rather than the current Housing Committee which meets once at 6:30 p.m. and once at 6:45 each month.

“Why do we have this under the conditions that we have in this community on housing and all the issues that are going on with it?” Champ asked. “We have 15 minutes to have them do their work.”

Pictured is Doug Champ, a local resident, addressing members of the City Council during Monday’s work session meeting. P-J photo by Timothy Frudd

Following Champ’s comments, City Council President Anthony Dolce, R-Ward II, addressed the format of the Housing Committee, explaining that nothing requires the Housing Committee to meet for a specific length of time. Dolce said that the Housing Committee was established back in the early 2000s as a result of a former council woman’s push for a committee to address housing issues throughout the city. As someone who previously served on the Housing Committee, Dolce said the committee used to meet on a different evening of the week.

Dolce also explained that the Housing Committee is “not a standing committee.” As a result, it does not have the authority to pass any resolutions on its own without going through either the Public Safety Committee or Finance Committee.

“I guess the bottom line is it’s flexible in terms of the scheduling of the meeting and the scope of what they do,” he said. “We decided that issues of housing and neighborhoods that we would go into that and dealt with some issues of landlords and tenant and landlord licensing, so there’s been a lot of things, and nothing says it cannot be reinvented, changed, different day or different time.”

In addition to Dolce’s explanation about the committee, Housing Committee Chairwoman Marie Carrubba, D-Ward IV, explained the reason for the current format. According to Carrubba, the Housing Committee is planning to continue its schedule of meeting once a month for 15 minutes and once a month for 30 minutes due to Carrubba’s prior obligation to The Resource Center, which also meets on Monday nights.

“I’m obligated to them,” she said. “I made it clear when I was appointed housing chair that would be a conflict for me. We have the schedule set up until the budget hearings, because then we have to usually meet earlier than that…Staff also have families that need to have a break to get to go home and do something. The earlier I have my meeting means that they have to report earlier, so in consideration, we do one meeting that’s 15 minutes.”

While Carrubba acknowledged that her time is limited like other council members who also work full-time and have obligations on other boards and committees, she said she is available for questions “anytime” and actively works to answer and respond to the questions and concerns of local constituents.

“I try to do what I can,” she said.