Residents and advocates urge council to reverse public-comment rule changes; several call measures exclusionary

Several residents at Tuesday’s meeting strongly criticized recent council rule changes that moved public comment for items not on the agenda to the end of the meeting, limited remote participation and imposed a one-hour cap on commenters.

Veronica Baker, a Colorado Springs resident who addressed council, said the changes “send a message about whether you truly want to hear from us at all.” Baker said moving comments to the end of the meeting forces people to wait hours for three minutes, which can be a barrier for working people, caregivers and residents with disabilities.

Joe Pelka, a longtime civic advocate, told council the changes “start out your term by restricting public comment” and urged councilmembers to consider how actions look to the public. He recommended the council run the proposed changes through a public-facing process and reconsider them.

Other speakers raised similar concerns about accessibility, including parents and caregivers who said they cannot attend lengthy meetings in person. Catherine Zukas suggested a fixed comment time (for example, 1 p.m.) and proposed logistical ideas (a community-provided lunch) to make participation more predictable for caregivers.

Councilmember Donaldson spoke near the end of the meeting and said he did not agree with the rule changes; he said remote participation should be maintained and that the council should allow citizens to cede time to more experienced presenters. He recommended the council revisit the changes and consider fixed times so residents know when public comment will occur.

The council did not adopt any further rules at the meeting; several councilmembers and staff said they would review the procedural changes and follow up with options for making public comment more accessible.