HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — On Wednesday, the Houston City Council voted to shift some meetings to the evening in an attempt to increase public access to local government.
Currently, public comment sessions begin at 2 p.m. each Tuesday, which is in the middle of the workday.
Under a new pilot program, the last Tuesday public input session of each month will begin at 6 p.m. instead of 2 p.m. Public input sessions earlier in the month will still begin at 2 p.m.
The pilot program will go into effect come August and is set to end in December, unless council votes otherwise.
Weeks ago, Councilmember Mario Castillo, who submitted the proposal, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, asking for public comment, saying he was “working to make city hall more accessible.”
He says the 6 p.m. time is more convenient for Houstonians and allows for more voices to be heard.
“This gives you a chance to come to city hall at a time convenient for you…a lot of folks are working or doing other things,” Castillo said.
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