Warrenton Board of Aldermen members debated the merits of a consent agenda during the board’s May 3 meeting.Alderman Gary Auch raised the issue because he said reports from department heads aren’t being given the proper attention. Auch suggested doing away with the consent agenda and having more reports at the meeting.The board took no action on the issue. Mayor Eric Schleuter said more discussion, and a vote on the fate of the consent agenda, could take place at a future meeting.The consent agenda is a package of reports, meeting minutes and other items combined into one agenda item. Instead of approving each item individually, only one vote is taken to approve the measures.Auch said the consent agenda was introduced to speed up meetings. He said meetings regularly last about 45 to 75 minutes.“We blow through reports,” he said.Auch said while board members are reading the reports, they may be missing some information. He said there may be questions that should be asked at a meeting to the department heads during a presentation.He feels only the meeting minutes should be in the consent agenda.Auch said the board shouldn’t be worried about having fast meetings.“You go through the meeting quick and it gives you more time,” he said. “Well, it gives you more time for what? It’s almost like you’re trying to hide something from the public.”Alderman Mike Shilharvey said he agreed with Auch. Shilharvey said the government buzzword is transparency and he doesn’t think the consent agenda is very transparent.“By not discussing some of these things, is there something that maybe the public is not being made aware of?” he asked.Schleuter said while it’s good to discuss the merits of the consent agenda, he isn’t in favor of eliminating it. He said the reports could be posted on the city’s website or at city hall for the public to view.He also added that if any board member wants to discuss any of the reports under consent, they can request to do so. He said that option hasn’t been used often.“Why not just leave it on the consent agenda and pull it off if you have questions?” he asked.Schleuter said some of the department heads and other city staff would rather be home than at a meeting reading reports.Terri Thorn, director of operations, said she couldn’t speak for the rest of the city staff, but she didn’t have a preference. She said she is going to be at the meetings anyway and can give a report if needed.Auch suggested getting away from the consent agenda for a few months as a trail run. During that time, the reports would be presented. If the meetings began to drag on and aren’t productive, he said the consent agenda could return. City of Warrenton