Riley County commissioners adopt amendment allowing chair to extend public-comment time

The Riley County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 20 approved an amendment to the county’s public-comment rules to clarify how the time limit can be adjusted.

Jacob Hanson, county counselor, told commissioners the change inserts a qualifier to the existing three-minute rule so the chair may extend or shorten the allotted time "as otherwise determined by the chair of the board of county measures at the beginning of public comment." Hanson described the edit as a transparency measure so the public knows the chair has the authority to announce a longer or shorter time for a given session.

Commissioners moved and seconded the resolution and the board approved the amended rule by voice vote. The change keeps three minutes as the baseline allocation for speakers but makes explicit the chair’s authority to declare a different limit at the start of the public-comment period.

Hanson said the revision is intended to allow the board to set a longer period for special events or topics that expect heavier public turnout, and he described the amendment as a repeal-and-replace of the earlier resolution language.

The county counselor also updated commissioners on the Prairie Road case, noting supplemental briefing timelines and that the matter may move to the Kansas Supreme Court; he said scheduling for argument could be many months away.