The Hideout Town Council adopted an amendment to the town rules on Nov. 5 designed to give staff and council adequate time to review substantive materials before public hearings. Under the new rule, external applicants must submit materials at least 14 days before a council meeting and 21 days for MDAs or contracts longer than 25 pages; submissions must be complete with all exhibits and attachments. The ordinance includes a narrowly framed waiver provision that allows the mayor to waive the deadline in limited, documented emergency circumstances.

Council members said the change was intended to avoid last-minute, multi-hundred-page packets arriving shortly before meetings and to ensure staff can prepare meaningful review memos for council consideration. Staff will publish a clear checklist of completeness requirements and will stamp received submissions to record timing for the 60-hour and 14/21-day thresholds the ordinance establishes.

What happens next: Staff will publish the checklist and procedures and follow the amended submission schedule going forward; council members asked staff to return with implementation details and outreach to frequent applicants.