On split vote, township to begin meetings earlier

By Dana Casadei

As of Monday, October 13, Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees meetings will no longer begin at 7 p.m. but at 6:30 p.m. 


This approved change was first proposed back in July, and since then the clerk’s office has received no written public comments for or against this proposal. Clerk Martin Brook said he only received one comment against the proposal after that meeting on July 28, but nothing else since then. 


While no comments from the public were received prior to the trustees meeting on Monday, September 8, there was some debate about moving it up half an hour from members of the board.


Trustee Valerie Murray thought the earlier start time was a good idea but that having that go into effect as soon as their next meeting was too soon. She suggested they implement the 6:30 p.m. time in January, which was not something other board members supported. 


“I think we should start this as soon as we can,” said trustee Neal Barnett. “This was a deliberate and well thought out plan.”


Middle ground was found with the approved start date of 6:30 p.m. on Monday, October 13, for the change to begin. 


But it was trustee Mark Antakli who was the most outspoken against the proposal. 


“I’m concerned about restricting access to be able to get here by then for public comment,” he said about the 6:30 p.m. start.


Antakli went on to say that a 6:30 p.m. start time would be a disservice to those who work far from their Bloomfield Township home and/or have to get their kids settled after school. 


His fellow board members did not agree that this would be a disservice, and noted that all of them are always willing to meet with residents outside of meetings if they aren’t able to make it to public comment, and the last thing they want to do is reduce voices in the community. 


Brook said that if they find issues with the new 6:30 p.m time that they will be open to changing it back or to another time entirely.


This new start time will amend the board of trustees meetings start time for the foreseeable future, and has been done before by the board, with meetings having a varied start time over the years, some as late as 8 p.m.

Meetings that have a later start time and have already had notices sent out will stick to their original time and not be adjusted.


The change was approved 6-1, with Antakli voting no.