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Council reopens consent-agenda vote after public challenge, approves consent agenda including travel item
Summary
After an on-the-record clarification about public-comment rights on the consent agenda, the council reopened public comment and then approved the consent agenda, including a questioned line item for travel to a Congressional Black Caucus event.
The Lake City Council on Sept. 17 paused and re-did its earlier consent-agenda vote after concerns from a public speaker about whether consent items had been subject to appropriate public comment.
Why it matters: Consent agendas bundle multiple routine items into a single vote. Florida law requires public comment on a proposition before the council; the city attorney advised that public comment is required on the motion to approve the entire consent agenda rather than on each individual item and that the public has three minutes per speaker to address the motion.
What happened: During the meeting an attendee challenged the hearing process, asserting that the city had not allowed separate comment on an item that included funding of a trip to the Congressional Black Caucus (CBF) in Washington, D.C. City Attorney Clay Martin explained the legal position: once the agenda and consent items are approved as presented at the agenda-approval stage, the public receives three minutes to address the entire consent-agenda motion. In an abundance of caution Martin recommended a do-over.
Do-over and outcome: The mayor reopened public comment specifically on the consent-agenda motion. Glennell Bowden used the opportunity to criticize a consent-agenda line item that would cover travel to a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation event and asked the council to justify the benefit to taxpayers. Bowden said local governments and non-profits generally attend workshops with clear benefit and that the CBF event “is a waste of our money” absent a clear public benefit. After public comment, the council took a second vote and approved the consent agenda by roll call (Carter — yes; Jernigan — yes; Young — yes; Harris — yes; Mayor Walker — yes).
Next steps: City staff will proceed with the actions contained in the consent agenda. City Attorney Martin’s clarification and the council’s do-over are on the record to document that public comment was permitted regarding the consent motion.
Ending: The council’s re-do clarified public-comment procedure for consent items and left unchanged the items the council had approved earlier in the meeting.
