Monterey Park : Council Sets Meeting Limit

In a decision literally made at the 11th hour, the City Council last week unanimously voted to set an 11 p.m. limit on its meetings. The meetings usually begin at 7 p.m. The vote on the motion coincidentally came at 11 p.m., eight minutes before the council adjourned the meeting.

Council members have said they want to end meetings earlier to eliminate excessive rhetoric. In recent years, council meeting often have lasted until 2 or 3 a.m. “You’d get so tired, you couldn’t even keep your eyes open,” said Mayor Barry L. Hatch, who proposed the time limit. “Often council members, including myself, get a little lengthy when we’re talking.”