By Editorial

Short agendas don’t necessarily mean short meetings, at least with the Los Altos City Council. What was the 5.5 hour session on Oct. 9? A council meeting? A study session?

The meeting mostly covered two traffic items. Traffic issues are important - in this case El Monte improvements and a Loyola School area conceptual plan. The council did eventually do the right thing, approving a temporary plan for El Monte and a conceptual plan for Loyola. We do salute the members’ decision to create a rotary circle at Berry and Springer.

The problem was, it probably took twice as long as it should have.

Council spent more than three hours alone on the El Monte traffic plan. A highly paid consultant offered concrete options for dealing with slowing traffic. The consultants were questioned as if members doubted their expertise.

One member suggested the city spend more money on another consultant for the Loyola plan to get a second opinion. Fortunately, this proposal was shot down.

Instead of asking questions directly related to the consultants’ reports, council members seemed eager to want to put their own personal stamp on projects and essentially reinvent all the work that had been going on for a long time.

We understand the council’s job is not an easy one. No one wants the council to act hastily, especially on traffic issues. But this does not excuse the council from going on and on about issues that have been in the pipeline for weeks.

We offer several solutions which might help speed the agenda along.

First, council could do more homework. All reports are given to the council members beforehand and staff has reviewed them. Second, detailed discussion of items should be dealt with at work study sessions, not in council meetings.

Third, council should set a time period for discussion of agenda items. Los Altos Councilman Lou Becker, as mayor, established an 11 p.m. time limit on meetings when he ran them. This forced the council to run more efficiently. But this time limit has apparently gone by the wayside.

This council has worked together a long time, and with two members set for another four years, they will be together for some time to come. We expect better efficiency.