Belleville Town Council Ditches Day Meetings, Embraces Evening Sessions

BELLEVILLE, NJ — The night time is the right time when it comes to town council meetings, Belleville’s new mayor says.

On Wednesday, the Belleville Town Council unanimously voted to transition to a fully evening schedule – ending daytime meetings.

Mayor Frank Vélez explained the decision in a social media post.

“Throughout our campaign and since taking office, we’ve heard from many residents that daytime meetings made it difficult for working families, commuters and others to attend and participate in their local government,” Vélez said.

“As many of you know, over the last two years, the township council has had daytime meetings at 12:30 p.m. in the middle of the work day,” Vélez said.

For most working people, it’s not a break that they can fit into their schedules, he said.

The mid-day meetings have also created conflicts for council members, who have to juggle their own work schedules to attend, Vélez said.

Moving forward, the council is canceling its daytime meetings. The full schedule for the remainder of the year will be announced soon, Vélez said.

“I’m grateful to my colleagues on the council for unanimously supporting this change and helping make our meetings more accessible to the people we serve,” the mayor added.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.