In an effort to make Selma City Council meetings be more time efficient, Selma City Council members will vote on an amendment to alter rules and procedures that will remove the citizen’s request portion from each council meeting.

Selma City Attorney Jimmy Nunn said in a work session Thursday that the amendment was placed on first reading at a previous meeting to remove the citizens request portion but said, “Citizens will still have a public manner in which to present their concerns to council members at each council work session.”

Council work sessions are held one week prior to council meeting on Thursday. Though the meetings are public, they are not broadcast on the radio.

Council President Corey Bowie said he thinks the change will allow for council meetings to run shorter and, “keep the council meetings as just business.”

“This is nothing new,” Bowie said. “Lots of other councils and cities takes this same approach. This will help us focus on the business of our city at the meetings and at the work sessions hear from the citizens.”

The council also discussed limiting those who request funding from the city general fund for their organizations to be permitted to address the council only once each fiscal year, due to citizens requesting funding on multiple occasions for the same organization.

“If they want to come before the council members individually, they may but as far as addressing the council, that would be limited,” Bowie said.

If the amendment passes Tuesday, Nunn said new procedures would take effect immediately.