AUBURN – The city’s newest leaders spent Monday searching for a way to open Auburn government to more participation by residents.

And how to do it fast.

“We’ll find a way for every citizen to participate,” said Mayor John Jenkins in his first meeting with the newly elected City Council. “But we need to be efficient.”

The issue focused on the council’s regular meetings, which typically begin with an open session, a time for any resident to bring a comment or concern to the seven-member group.

In one of his first official acts as mayor, Jenkins asked that the session be moved to the end of the meeting instead.

“I’m the one who brought that up,” he said. “That’s my doing.”

His aim was to unburden the beginning of meetings with talk that delayed the council from getting through its work list of items until late in the evening, he said.

“I don’t think you want us to make fiscal decisions when we’re exhausted,” he said.

Meanwhile, he didn’t want to limit people’s discussion, either.

“I just don’t want to put people on a timer,” he said.

Some worried that the move would discourage some people from attending.

Ron Potvin, who leads a group of small property owners in the city, said he worried that the lack of convenience would keep people away.

“That does a disservice to people,” he said.

In a 4-3 vote, the council decided to delay the issue until city staffers can check out other towns and cities and how they manage the issue.

Councilor Ellen Peters, who led the delay, said she felt uncomfortable making any decision until she knew more.

Either way, all councilors insisted that the public participation will be important.

The mayor went further.

“City participation will be at its highest level ever,” he vowed. He said he planned to lead residents to form committees to oversee the school and city budgets.

And he promised that its members would not be made up of the usual folks.

“They’ll be fresh, citizens who are not always the chosen ones,” he said.