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. . . . . - looked at the requirement of a unanimous vote to extend the meeting past 11 p.m. to make it so that it was simply a majority Council vote, which I think a majority - of the Council felt would also help us accomplish the public's business in perhaps three meetings." He said he would be more comfortable if the Council didn't limit its meetings to three, but aimed for three with not the slightest hesitation in having four meetings when the public's business required the Council to do so. 2. Public comments; A. Richard Silver, 130 Arch Street, retired Chief Clerk and Executive Officer of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, described the Board's lengthy Tuesday meetings and how they had been streamlined. He said the first thing they did was eliminate the fifth Tuesday, moved more items to the Consent Calendar, and eliminate the Tuesday meetings that followed Monday holidays. Mr. Silver said the Board began its meetings 30 minutes earlier, and also tried to focus as many items as possible on the second and fourth meetings of the month. He said the Board currently holds about 28 to 30 meetings per year. Mr. Silver said that important and lengthy public issues could be scheduled on a separate day. He said that Council meetings that extend to 10 or II p.m. have a negative impact on staff who has to be at work early the next morning. Mr. Silver said he agreed with Council Member Hartnett that staff should continue to schedule four meetings per month, but direct the Clerk or the Manager to try and focus business items on the second - and fourth Mondays, to eliminate the third meeting if possible. He said, "I can't believe your City is going to be any more or less complicated than the County." He said if Council began meetings at 7 p.m. it should try to end them by 10 p.m, "with all due respect, you aren't as sharp at 10 o'clock as you were at 7 o'clock." Mr. Silver asked the Council to get rid of the three-minute time limit for speakers, which was imposed several years ago when one citizen continually dominated meetings with his own agenda. He suggested a trial period to allow speakers to get things off their chest, and to see what happens. B. Pete Hughes, 18 Admiralty Court, spoke in favor of maintaining the current four Monday meetings per month schedule. He said it was easier to eliminate a meeting than to add one. Mr. Hughes said, "It is very difficult to keep up with what is happening in the City of Redwood City... At Council meetings there are an awful lot of things on the Consent Calendar which I know have been considered thoroughly by at least three of you at meetings which are very hard to attend if you don't know they are being held, although they are open meetings." Mr. Hughes said he read the agenda packet at the City Clerk's office each week so he understood the items, and if it was of - particular interest to him, "I will call up a Council person that I think might be sympathetic with that idea and ask him if he would pull that, so that there REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 56 MARCH 2, 1998 MINUTES Page No. 301 PAGE 7