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Starting next month, Riverside’s public utilities board will hold its meetings on Monday evenings instead of Friday mornings.
The change is meant to make it easier for residents to attend the twice-a-month sessions, said Heather Raymond, city spokeswoman.
“We’re trying to get more people involved in what the commission is working on and make the city government more transparent,” Raymond said of the change, which was announced Monday. “We get two or three people at a typical [public utilities] meeting on Friday, maybe nine or 10 if there’s a big issue on the agenda.
“By going to Monday nights, we think we can get maybe 20 to 30 people.”
Meetings of the utilities board will now begin at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of every month at the Art Pick City Council Chambers outside city hall, 3900 Main St.
The nine-member utilities board sets water and electricity rates for businesses and individuals and votes on public improvement projects. It’s authorized to approve projects worth less than $500,000; anything larger than that must be approved by the board and the council.
The utilities board now has three vacancies that Riverside officials hope to fill by March 14, the date of its first scheduled night meeting, Raymond said.
