Batavia aldermen on July 1 discussed whether to restore a committee-chair/vice-chair structure or keep the current committee-of-the-whole model. After an extended exchange of views, the council agreed to delay any reorganization until a future Committee of the Whole meeting when all members can attend.

Supporters said committee chairs and vice chairs (chosen by seniority historically) helped build institutional knowledge and share the work of presenting agenda items, while opponents said the committee-of-the-whole delivers broad participation and that many members already take lead roles on topics informally. Several aldermen suggested a hybrid approach — small working groups for specific initiatives and a public repository of committee documents so members can prepare before meetings.

Staff and aldermen discussed using the city’s new Diligent agenda platform and a public SharePoint/OneDrive or a transparency page to store committee briefing materials and research, noting Open Meetings Act limits on private deliberations. The council asked staff to prepare a recommendation listing committees, seniority order and suggested chairs/vice chairs and to bring that proposal to the next Committee of the Whole when the full council is present.

Why this matters: committee structure affects how council members develop expertise, how meetings are run and how staff and the public receive information. Several aldermen said briefings and a shared document repository would speed meetings and reduce surprises.

The council did not change committee assignments at the July 1 meeting; members asked staff to post an updated committee roster and to bring options to the next meeting.