JULY 24, 2025 |

Photo – Rawlins City Hall – Bigfoot99 file photo

The governing body of Rawlins will begin holding their meetings earlier in the day.

During the July 15th Rawlins City Council meeting, Mayor Jacqueline Wells presented a discussion item to change the start time of City Council meetings. Mayor Wells said the current 7:30 p.m. schedule often leads to meetings running late into the evening.

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Mayor Wells also suggested rescheduling special work sessions, which are used for in-depth discussions on topics such as the annual budget and cemetery maintenance, to a different day. Currently, work sessions are held before regularly scheduled City Council meetings. The Mayor asked for feedback from the council members.

Vice Mayor Darril Garner said he approved of the idea but warned against starting the meetings too early. Vice Mayor Garner said later start times allow the maximum number of meeting attendees. An earlier start time may prevent people, who are just getting off work, from attending.

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Councilman Bruce Seilaff explained that the 7:30 p.m. start was chosen to give workers enough time to go home and eat dinner before attending the City Council meetings.

Councilwoman Tonya Lewman asked when the current start time was established. City Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave said the ordinance governing City Council meeting times was amended in 1995, though the original time may have been established decades earlier.

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City Attorney Maberry-Nave said the later start time appears to have been chosen for the reasons Vice Mayor Garner mentioned, giving workers time to care for their families before attending the meeting. However, the city attorney said the later start time could have the opposite effect, as some residents may prefer to stay home after settling in for the evening.

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Attorney Maberry-Nave added that the City of Casper, which uses the same City Manager style of government as Rawlins, begins its meetings at 6:00 p.m.

Councilman Steve Sanger said the meetings can also be changed to end at a specific time. Any items not covered during the regular schedule can be pushed to the next meeting’s agenda.

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Councilwoman Tonya Lewman asked whether meetings could begin at the Council’s discretion, allowing the governing body to decide the start time for each session individually. Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave explained that state statute requires meetings to have a set date and time. However, the city attorney said the governing body may change the time by amending the corresponding ordinance, which requires three readings at three separate public meetings.

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Mayor Jacqueline Wells said the public readings will also give city residents an opportunity to comment on the proposed time change.

Councilman Steve Sanger said having fixed meeting dates provides the added benefit of reducing the workload for City Clerk Lynn Shearer.

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Speaking of the meeting schedule, Vice Mayor Darril Garner asked to reschedule the first meeting in August. The date traditionally falls on the National Night Out, a nationwide event that promotes cooperation and trust between residents and law enforcement. Vice Mayor Garner suggested moving that one meeting to allow city staff to attend the event.

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The City Council approved Vice Mayor Garner’s suggestion to reschedule the first August meeting but could not reach a consensus on a new start time.

Mayor Wells directed Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave to draft an amended meeting ordinance to be presented during the August 5th meeting. The city attorney will leave the start times blank to allow for public comment before a final time is selected.

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