TORRINGTON – During the regularly scheduled meeting of the Torrington City Council held on Tuesday, May 21 at 7 p.m., members of the council passed an ordinance to change the meeting times of the council on the third reading moving the meeting time to 5:30 p.m.

The ordinance was brought in front of the council in the April 16 meeting under the action items of the agenda, item two.

During the discussion had by councilmembers on April 16, City of Torrington Mayor, Herb Doby, expressed nothing would be changed regarding the city council meetings other than the time the meeting would be held on Tuesdays. 

“The only thing that’s amended is this time of the meetings,” Doby said. “I look at this and I think of history. This is the year 2024 and several of us up here are old enough to remember the 60s and the 70s and remember what it was like around here. What I recall about those days is everybody worked six days a week unless you worked for the government or the school district.”

Doby went on to explain, times have changed, and workplace practices have changed warranting the city council to adapt to the change. 

“I thought 5:30 was a good hour and my explanation for that is we have staff that are here on very long days on the first and third Tuesdays of the month,” Doby said. “I know they come in at 6:30 or 7 in the morning and spend their lunch here actually and work all the way through until meeting time. That makes a heck of a long day for staff.”

After discussion, the councilmembers Wayne Deahl, mayor Doby and Dr. Richard Patterson voted for the new ordinance while Dennis Kelly and Shane Viktorin voted against. 

The ordinance was heard again on the second reading during the city council’s May 7 meeting under the seventh item of the action items on the agenda where the vote remained the same, Doby, Deahl, and Patterson voting aye while Kelly and Viktorin continued to vote against the issue. 

During the Tuesday, May 21, meeting the council heard the final reading of the ordinance to change the meeting times of the council on the third reading moving the meeting time to 5:30 p.m.

Once more, Deahl, Patterson and Doby voted for the new ordinance, while Kelly and Viktorin voted against the change.

The new ordinance passed with a 3-2 vote and the Torrington City Council will now meet on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 5:30 p.m.