The Criminal Justice Collaborating Council voted to reduce the number of specified voting seats after council members said the existing 22-member voting list left the council frequently without a quorum.

At the meeting the council discussed removing several specified seats from the voting membership list in the CJCC bylaws, including the city attorney, the city administrator (or city-administration representation), and the county board law-and-judiciary chair. The motion to remove those seats was moved by the sheriff and, after discussion, was adopted by voice vote.

Council members said the change is intended to make it easier to reach a quorum and keep the CJCC functioning. Eric Atkinson, City of Menomonie administrator, told the council the mayor’s work schedule has limited in-person participation; the city said it would like to continue representation and suggested using a designee when needed.

Members noted that the CJCC bylaws already allow designees but limit how many consecutive meetings a designee may attend. The bylaws state that a written designee designation must be provided to the chair and that a designee may attend no more than two consecutive council meetings; lack of attendance by any member may be cause for removal from the council under current language.

Council members asked the executive committee to consider bylaw revisions to clarify city representation language and to review designee limits; any bylaw changes would require notice, executive-committee review and a return to the full CJCC for final approval. Meanwhile, the immediate motion removed the city attorney, the city administrator (per the motion’s language), and the county board law-and-judiciary chair from the voting roster to reduce the number of voting members and ease quorum requirements.

The motion’s mover said the change would reduce the voting membership by three and aimed to preserve city representation while allowing flexibility for a mayoral designee. The motion passed on voice vote.