Addressing Council During Council Meetings

 As of the start of 2011, Minerva Park Council follows a restrictive set of rules regarding citizen comments during Council Meetings.


To give this legislation some credit, several neighboring communities include some structure for citizen input in their Council Meetings. In contrast, these neighboring communities have populations 10x the size of our village, and thus substantially more citizens to hear. In their case, cards or time limits are in the interest of allowing everyone a fair chance to speak.



Let's look at a few facts...
Minerva Park was incorporated into a Village in 1940.
I don't have the previous Rules of Council before me, but I'm assuming that this elaborate system for citizen comments is something entirely new. If nothing else, the comment cards are.
This means that the Village had operated for 60 years without these constricting rules.


While it is understood that Council Meetings are a time of business for our Village government, they are beginning to widen the gap between government action and resident interest and concern. True, our Council Meetings need some organization about them and business practice, but isn't the Council a creation to preserve the interests and aid the concerns of its residents?


Our community's population is estimated at 1,400. Are the following, lengthy rules necessary with 1,400 residents?


Is the coincidence with growing dissent in the community truly a coincidence, or is it perhaps an attempt to manage community input in the public setting?


Yes, the Rules of Council and the website of our village encourage residents to create appointments with the members of council or the Mayor, but these appointments are behind closed doors, where dissenting or opposing opinion won't be heard by other residents.

The new "Citizen Comment Cards" appear as follows:

Let's have another look at all of these rules per our citizen comments:

Citizen Comments During Council Meetings
Council meetings are public business meetings of the Minerva Park Council. As such, all citizen comments must pertain to current issues and topics of business before council. Citizens wishing to address council at a Council Meeting must sign in and complete a Citizen Comments Card. The Citizen Comments Card includes the name and address of the citizen and what specific topic/committee report the citizen wishes to address. The citizen then gives the President of Council the card before the meeting begins. Throughout the meeting, when the appropriate topic comes up in the agenda (guest speaker, individual report or committee report), the citizen will be recognized by the Mayor. The citizen then has three minutes to address the council on a topic that relates directly to that committee or topic at hand. At the discretion of the Mayor there can be
discussion surrounding the topic. However, realizing that the council meeting is a business meeting, the discussion should always directly pertain to the business at hand. 

If it appears that the topic is not specific to the business before council or the committee, the citizen will not be recognized until the end of the meeting at a general Citizen Comments time. Any citizen speaking at that time will have a maximum of three minutes to address council. No citizen will have more than nine minutes at any council meeting.

As always, citizens are encouraged to make an appointment to speak with the Mayor or any member of Council about general issues of the Village. In addition to the Citizen Comments Card, the Mayor or President of Council may recognize any nonmember of council for the purpose of asking a brief question that clarifies for the citizen the topic before council.

Speakers must be courteous and avoid discussion of personalities. If at any meeting, any person becomes discourteous or undertakes a discussion of personalities, the Mayor or president pro tempore of council may request that he/she return to the topic at hand and speak with courtesy. If the person refuses, the mayor or president pro tempore of council can ask that the person surrender the floor and /or leave the meeting. If the person refuses, the mayor or president pro tempore of council can ask the Police Officer (if one is present) to escort the person out of the room. The person can return when the Police Officer determines appropriate. However, if the same actions continue, the person shall be expelled permanently from that meeting.



 In other words, Citizens must:

• Fill out a card giving name and address
• Specify their concerns
• Limit their concerns to topics brought up by council
• Limit themselves to 3 minutes per issue, and 9 minutes total per meeting

Also, if one doesn't comply they can be removed by Police force.


Further within the 2011 Rules of Council, it is noted:

 There are quarterly “Coffee with Council” meetings during the year when citizens can meet with members
of council to discuss any topic that is of concern.

However, in a recent Council Meeting, there was some discrepancy about what was discussed and stated in last quarter's "Coffee with Council" and the events after "Coffee with Council". This particular statement involved issues of  funding.

If this is going to be the case, what is the point of these meetings? Are they merely a formality to make it appear as though the Council is "listening"?




Now, let's compare our practices with neighboring communities...


Columbus, Ohio
Population Estimate (2006): 733,203
Their rules, as expected given the population, are somewhat more limiting. They require citizens to have their speaker slips filled out by 5pm the day of the meeting. Citizens are allowed 2 speaker slips, one of which may be a non-agenda matter. 
The speakers are limited to 3 minutes, however their rules explicitly state that any of these rules may be disposed of by a majority vote.


Rules for Speaking Before Columbus City Council can be found here:
http://council.columbus.gov/content.aspx?id=7930

Dublin, Ohio

Population Estimate (2006): 36,565
To speak residents must state their name and address, and remarks are limited to the question under discussion. All speakers, public and elected, must limit themselves to five minutes, and residents must be addressed by the Chair to speak.


Dublin's Rules of Council can be found here:

http://www.dublin.oh.us/council/rules/

Westerville, Ohio
Population Estimate (2006): 34,971
Reads:

The Council Agenda shall provide the citizens comments
at all regular Council meetings on any matter. The Chairman may apply reasonable limitations
and extensions to the citizens comments.


Rules of Westerville City Council can be found here:
http://www.westerville.org/Portals/0/Council%20By-laws.pdf


Gahanna, Ohio
Population Estimate (2006): 33,080
On audience participation:

Can I address the Council Members during a Council meeting?
Yes. Audience members may make comments to the Council and Mayor during the Hearing of Visitors portion of the agenda or during Public Hearings by filling out a comment card provided by Council staff. Audience members will be called by name to the lectern when it is their turn to speak. Comments are limited to three minutes. There is no comment period at Committee meetings, although the public is welcome to attend.
Found here:

http://www.gahanna.gov/citycouncil/

Also of note, Gahanna has a very well presented calendar where meetings, agendas, and minutes can all be found in one location:

http://gahanna.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

Dublin, Ohio
Population Estimate (2006): 32,100
"A person in the audience who wishes to speak shall first be recognized by the Mayor.  Upon being recognized, such person shall give his name and address."
Found: 
http://www.conwaygreene.com/Delaware/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=main-h.htm&2.0


Worthington, Ohio
Population Estimate (2006): 13,250
The Council Rules indicate that speakers must fill out a slip. There is no time limit but allowed time varies by President of Council's discretion.

Their rules can be found here:
http://www.worthington.org/uploads/File/2010_city_council/City_Council_Meeting_Guide.pdf

Bexley, Ohio
Population Estimate (2006): 12,376
Their Ordinance on Council Rules includes:

Rule 6. Privilege of Floor. No person except members of Council and City officials shall
be permitted to speak or to take part in the proceedings of Council unless special permission
therefor is granted by Council.

Their Ordinance is found here: (the file titled C-ADMIN contains their Rules of Council)

http://bexley.org/govt/public-docs/cat_view/177-city-council/222-laws-a-codified-ordinances


When comparing these communities, keep in mind their population size. Realistically, none of these compare fairly with our population.
A closer comparison may be The Village of Galena. Their estimated population (2006) was 519, much smaller than our neighborhood in comparison, however their meeting minutes are posted online. I couldn't find their Rules of Council on their website, http://galenaohio.org/council.html.

Perhaps for a better baseline comparison we would have to look to other villages with populations similar to ours, but as stated before our community existed for 60 years without needing comment cards to control our inputs in council meetings? Regardless of other communities practices, do we, a village with a population of 1,400, need to limit public address during council meetings?

From what I've seen, this is more a practice of control than fairness.


All population estimates are from the U.S. Census Bureau's website.