The City Council had a short night by its recent standards Monday, adjourning at 9:25 p.m., one hour and 55 minutes after beginning.
It was far from a 40-yard dash, but it was much quicker than the nearly four-hour marathons that have become the norm for the council’s regular, twice-a-month meetings.
Was it a fluke or a positive step for those of us who like to kiss our children goodnight and maybe catch the last few minutes of “24” on Monday nights?
Among the reasons to hope:
* This was the first meeting for which City Manager Eric Williams supplied time estimates for most agenda items, and people were quite aware when they stepped to the microphone that they were expected to be finished in the one or three or 15 minutes Williams listed.
* Mayor Clem Seifert used a timer to ensure that speakers during the public comment period stayed within three minutes — and no one rioted in protest.
* Seifert allowed only one comment from the audience outside the public comment period, and that was during a discussion that directly affected that person, who had kept to her three minutes when she spoke on the same issue during the comment period (Deryl von Williams, the owner of one of the 15 businesses on the delinquent list for city privilege licenses).
* Seifert and the council members showed some restraint for a change. Tired of late-night meetings, they generally avoided chasing tangents and resisted being baited into reruns of old arguments. The sad case of Samuel Smith, for example, usually takes at least 30 minutes per meeting; it was done in about 10 Monday.
On the other hand, there are reasons for skepticism:
* Williams estimated 65 minutes for the meeting, excluding three items that took no more than 20 minutes combined. That 65-minute estimate included 15 minutes for a presentation from Brian Short that was postponed until May. So if Williams had been on target, the meeting should have lasted 70 minutes, not 115 — 64 percent longer.
* Only one person signed up to speak during the comment period, and she was determined to stay within the time limit. What happens when several people want to talk, especially if some of our loquacious ministers are among them?
* Monday night was the rare meeting when the City Council had no public hearings, which lack the limits of the comment period and often drift far off topic. Just wait until the proposed amortization ordinance on junkyards and auto repair shops comes up for a hearing May 23 or June 13. People might not get home in time for the Fourth of July.
* Seifert allowed that one audience member to speak outside the comment period. The mayor had a good reason, but he’s treading on the slippery slope that leads to angry confrontations with the Rev. C.J. Dale.
* How long can we count on our elected officials to make succinct points and move on, especially in an election year when some council members will be posturing for the voters and others will be seizing a few final moments on the public stage before leaving municipal politics?
* John Wester missed Monday night’s meeting. That’s not a criticism of Wester or his time management skills. We just assume that eight council members will take more time than seven will.
For one night, at least, we got to see our kid before they fell asleep. More important, we got to see CTU techno-geek Chloe turn into a killing machine on “24.” It’s the little things in life you treasure.