The Freeborn County Board will try night meetings in October and November, it decided Tuesday. The second meeting of each month will begin at 6 p.m. and won’t continue past 10:30.

Commissioner Dan Springborg said the day meetings make it difficult for many residents to attend. He said it also makes things difficult for him because of his job.

He also noted that someone dropped out of the commissioner’s election last fall because a daytime work schedule would have conflicted with county board duties.

&uot;It takes this position out of the working man’s hands. Not totally, but it’s a pain,&uot; Springborg said.

County Administrator Ron Gabrielsen said many counties have one night meeting and one day meeting each month. A motion was put forward to that effect.

Scott Hanna, a county resident who has been attending meetings for the last few months, said he’s tried to get friends to attend meetings. Work has been the No. 1 reason they can’t attend, he said.

Commissioner Dave Mullenbach said that in the past, night meetings haven’t been effective in bringing in more residents.

He said with meetings lasting sometimes four or five hours, it will make for late nights.

&uot;If it helps somebody to go to the meetings, that’s fine. But I don’t want to stay up till 10:30 at a county meeting,&uot; he said.

Otherwise, he said he thought the change would conflict with other meetings the commissioners could attend and break up the current schedule of other meetings they must attend. &uot;It just seems like everything’s been working,&uot; he said.

But he said it probably wouldn’t be a big deal. &uot;It’s going to create some problems, but it can be worked out,&uot; he said.

(Contact Tim Sturrock at tim.sturrock @albertleatribune.com or 379-3438.)