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Kennesaw mayor and council withdraw meeting-procedures revision after concerns about public-comment changes
Summary
After residents raised objections to proposed changes affecting public comment, the mayor asked the council to withdraw agenda item 8A — a meeting-procedures revision — and the council voted unanimously to remove the item for later consideration.
The Kennesaw mayor and council voted unanimously to withdraw a proposed revision to mayor-and-council meeting procedures after residents said it could limit public comment.
The issue surfaced during the public-comment period when Timothy Hine, who said he lives at 2059 White Oak Circle, told the council that new requirements to sign up and appear on camera would discourage residents from speaking and could prevent people from commenting until after decisions were made. "A lot of them already have an issue coming up here and saying their name and having their face on camera...having a lot more restrictions on top of that just makes it much, much less likely that they're gonna come up here to speak at all," Hine said.
Another speaker, Sebastian Reinhardt of 2519 Cochise Drive, framed his objection as a constitutional concern. "The decision that we are voting on tonight...regarding the freedom of speech within this chamber is very concerning to me," he said, adding that rules are important but should not deny residents the ability to hold leaders accountable.
Mayor (presiding officer) told the council the item — listed as 8A — was intended as an administrative update and "has nothing to do with the First Amendment," but the mayor said the proposal was not fully fleshed out and asked for a motion to withdraw it so it could be reworked and returned at a later meeting. The council voted 5–0 to withdraw the item.
The mayor characterized the revision as addressing quorum protocol and meeting procedures; he said the council would bring a revised version back for discussion at a later date. The council did not adopt any permanent change to public-comment rules at the meeting.
The withdrawal came after multiple residents expressed worry that a sign-up requirement and on-camera appearances could inhibit spontaneous public comment or delay comment until after votes. Council members did not propose alternative, immediate changes to the public-comment process during the meeting.
The item will be returned to a future agenda after additional staff work and council discussion. No formal ordinance or rule change related to public comment was adopted at this meeting.
