Meeting times cause conflict for city boards

Elected officials are back to butting heads as members of city council, park board and park committees argue over when to hold the Creston Parks and Recreation board meetings.

The meeting time for the park board changed in March to the third Tuesday of each month, the same date Creston City Council holds their meetings, with a time difference of 30 minutes. This has caused conflicts in having city oversight at the board meetings and in some board members being able to attend the meeting.

Historically, park board meetings were held the second Tuesday of each month. When Katie Turner was elected to the board in November 2023, the meeting date was changed to the second Wednesday of each month to accommodate her schedule.

Since Turner was elected, the board moved from being elected to being appointed by the city. The amount of board members has also changed from three people to five people.

The board continued meeting on Wednesdays until the March 19 board meeting this year, at which “meeting night selection” made its way to the agenda.

“We’ve been talking about taking it back to Tuesday. I’ve had a lot of inquiries, like tonight there’s some other meeting down there and we’re losing our spot,” Board President John Kawa said. “I know some people who would have come but they can’t be here on Wednesdays.”

Board member Todd Kinkade agreed, adding that there were committee members who were unable to make the meeting.

Turner asked if there were any board members who had schedule conflicts, receiving a negative response. She explained Tuesdays still did not work for her due to her child’s schedule, saying she would vote no to moving it back to Tuesdays.

Creston Parks and Recreation Director Rusty Zimmerman explained the various schedule conflicts for meetings. As director, Zimmerman does not get a say in when meetings are held.

“The second and fourth Tuesdays are already taken by the mealsite for Open Table,” Zimmerman said in March. Open Table has since moved to the Methodist Church. “[First and third] will be the same night as city council. Thursdays are open downstairs too.”

Despite the potential conflicts, Kawa suggested moving to the third Tuesday of each month. The board voted 4-1, approving the move.

The day before the April park board meeting, Turner sent an email to park, city and media reps formally requesting a return to Wednesday meetings.

“The latest meeting date and time selection is not just inconvenient—it’s transparent in its intention. A board member, myself, who clearly communicated their conflict was ignored, and the date also excludes a council member, Kiki Scarberry, both who have a vested interest and dedication to this board," Turner wrote. “This doesn’t feel like a scheduling oversight. It feels like a calculated move to sideline dissent and shape discussions without challenge.”

Though there is no mention of the topic being broached again in minutes of the park board meeting, Scarberry did bring it up at the end of the city council meeting.

“They voted to move them back to Tuesdays at 5:30, which means you will not have sufficient council representation, and they do not have a board member who can make those,” Scarberry said. “None of the board members stated in their last meeting that they had any conflicts with keeping it on Wednesdays. That doesn’t seem like someone can come and talk at public forum at a parks and rec meeting and then also skiddadle out of there and come up here and talk at public forum. It just does not seem open and collaborative.”

Scarberry said though the meeting time was changed to accommodate committee members, no committee members were attending the meeting that day.

The subject of meeting times was not brought up again until the May park board meeting.

“The big thing is that our committee members, and being on the other side of that too, being on both sides, without committee members, we don’t have the stuff that we do,” Kinkade said. “[Tara Kinkade] has been here and I’ve been here for over 15 years. Committee members have raised thousands and thousands of dollars for the park and everything. We’ve always been that way, it’s always been that way. Nobody’s better than anybody else.”

While the city can not enforce a meeting change, Mayor Waylon Clayton encouraged the board to find a solution that works for everyone.

“If the board chooses to continue meeting on Tuesdays, I would suggest they consider starting at 5:00 p.m. instead of 5:30, to allow for better alignment. Alternatively, choosing any day other than Wednesday would help us maintain respect for church night while supporting the council’s work,” Clayton said. “As mayor, I fully respect the authority that the city council has voted to give the park and recreation board and I believe we should honor that governance while also working in harmony for the good of our community.”