DuPage County Board considers adding a night meeting to schedule

If you've ever wanted to get to a DuPage County Board meeting but couldn't because of work, family schedules or you just aren't a morning person, you might get your shot.

County board members were set to vote on their meeting schedule for the coming year when Dawn DeSart asked fellow board members to consider replacing two daytime meetings with night meetings next year. The county board typically meets at 10 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.

“I think it might be nice to be able to hear from more constituents who might not be able to take the time off during their workday,” DeSart said Wednesday.

She suggested having the meetings in 2024 that fall the day after Memorial Day and Veteran's Day be held at 6 p.m. Her suggestion at Tuesday's meeting was met with mixed results, forcing DuPage County Board Chairwoman Deborah Conroy to cast a tie-breaking vote to table the issue until the Oct. 24 meeting for further discussion.

Some board members questioned the expense of keeping staff working past regular work hours for an evening meeting. Others questioned if having one or two night meetings in a year would draw residents. Some noted that residents who cannot attend have the opportunity to submit their concerns or comments through emails that are forwarded to all board members.

Board member Lucy Chang Evans suggested having an evening meeting could prove “extremely onerous” for staff members who would have to get evening childcare.

Board members did ask for information on how much it would cost to keep staff members on hand for an evening meeting, to which DeSart replied by asking for a report of the amount it cost staff to look into how much it would cost to have staff on hand for one or two night meetings next year.