CARMEL — Carmel Mayor Sue Finkam is pushing to move some city meetings to the middle of the workday, a proposal that has divided elected officials and raised concerns among residents about government accessibility.
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The move could affect meetings that the city says already have low attendance and could save taxpayers money, according to the City's statement to WRTV.
CITY OF CARMEL FULL STATEMENT:
“Carmel continues to look at the issue of public meeting times, given its commitment to open and transparent services to taxpayers and responsible stewardship of their resources. Currently, many public meetings already occur during the day, and in 2026, others may adjust. Many administrative meetings now held during evening hours attract meager in-person public participation. This means taxpayers are needlessly paying for associated staffing costs that can be reduced or eliminated by adjusting meeting times.”
However, several city council members oppose the shift, arguing it would limit public participation and contradict campaign promises of transparency.
"I'm one of the seven of the nine city counselors who work full-time during the day. So it does affect me," said Adam Aasen, Republican Carmel City Council President. "We want to make sure that the makeup of our boards and commissions reflect our community and not just people who have flexible jobs or are retired."
Jeff Worrell, a Republican Carmel City Council member, said the proposal goes against what elected officials promised voters.
"Every single elected official ran on transparency. It was a hallmark of the campaign. To me, this is going in the wrong direction," Worrell said.
Some council members are questioning the mayor's cost-saving estimates.
"If you're going to use that argument, you've got to provide me with the specific numbers," Aasen said.
"If we're that desperate to take away transparency in order to save money, I'd like to weigh that up against how we do spend money on some other things," Worrell said.
Carmel resident and business owner Rob Brown regularly attends city meetings to address community concerns. He worries the scheduling change could discourage civic participation.
"You're going to end up getting the same pool of candidates who have freedom between 9 and 5, and I think it's going to restrict the amount of access citizens have to participate in their government," Brown said.
Brown acknowledges the need to balance cost savings with public involvement.
"If it's $20,000, it's not worth it. If it's $200,000, well then, maybe. You've got to make cuts somewhere. But you've also got to have public involvement," Brown said.
He hopes city leaders can find a middle ground that maintains accessibility while addressing budget concerns.
"If we find out how much and it's worth it, there's got to be a compromise. There has to be," Brown said.
"I don't want to be the guy that sits on the sidelines and says, 'I wish things were different,' and then I never step up to do anything," Brown said.
Many city meetings are run by committees with appointed officials that have the power to set the dates and times of those meetings.
They are set to further discuss the timing of those meetings over the coming weeks.
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Griffin Gonzalez is the In Your Community multimedia journalist for Hamilton County. He joined WRTV in January of 2024. Griffin loves to tell stories about people overcoming their biggest obstacles and share the good news that his community has to offer. Share your story ideas and important issues with Griffin by emailing him at griffin.gonzalez@wrtv.com.
