Benton Harbor City Commissioners have tabled a resolution that would change some of their own policies and procedures to ensure members get the information they need in a timely manner ahead of meetings.
We previously reported Commissioner Diedre Fields has requested that city staff get the full meeting packet — with agendas, resolutions, and bills — to commissioners by noon on the Thursday ahead of commission meetings on Mondays. A resolution making that change was brought before commissioners this week, but Commissioner Ethel Clark Griffin balked, saying it looked to her like too much was changed in the procedures.
“It’s always something to give the mayor more power, take power from the commissioner and the citizens,” Clark-Griffin said. “And they say it’s only minor changes, but everything is in red. Red means the changes. Barely any black writing left.”
Clerk Tiffany Moore said the resolution simply made the change previously requested, plus one more change. She said it updates the procedure for suspending the meeting rules so surprise motions could be introduced.
“In the previous policy and procedures, it stated that to suspend the rules only required a majority vote, which was not correct,” Moore said. “To suspend the rules actually does require a two-thirds vote. So this reflects that.”
At recent meetings, commissioners have suspended the rules to add new motions several times. How this new information affects any of those votes was not discussed. Mayor Marcus Muhammad suggested approving the changes Monday so there are no violations of the two-thirds rule, but concerns lingered over the meaning of these changes.
Commissioner Fields said she simply has too many questions to proceed.
“All of this is not what I suggested, so you’re kind of packaging it all together,” Fields said. “I asked about receiving the information, in advance, as of noon on Thursday, which we haven’t followed that to date. But the other thing she’s referencing, saying that you guys have already been operating that way, has nothing to do with me.“
Mayor Pro Tem Shaquille Turner suggested tabling the matter for more committee discussion. The commission then voted to do.
