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Exeter council to introduce bylaws change to move meetings to 6:30 p.m.; members reject removing public comment
Summary
The Exeter Town Council voted to place a proposed bylaw amendment on next month’s agenda to change regular meeting start time to 6:30 p.m. Council members declined to remove the public comment item from meeting agendas after lengthy public remarks urging retention of the forum.
The Exeter Town Council voted Monday to place a proposed amendment on next month’s agenda that would change the regular meeting start time from 7 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The proposal must be introduced tonight and would be voted on at the council’s April meeting, Council President Daniel Patterson said during the discussion. Patterson moved to place the change on next month’s agenda; the motion passed without recorded roll-call counts.
The move came amid public comment and a wide-ranging exchange over whether the council should remove the agenda item for oral public communications. Asa Davis, a frequent public commenter, urged the council to retain public comment and warned of constitutional and charter implications if it were removed: “Free speech makes public officials work harder, but makes life better because it results in a more responsive government,” Davis said during the public-comment period.
Several residents and council members said they value the public-comment period. Council members discussed scheduling concerns — several said a 6:30 p.m. start would be easier for people arriving from work — but did not support removing public comment from the agenda. One council member said they “don’t want to remove the public comment. I like it.”
Patterson noted that if the council adopts any change to the bylaws, it must be introduced at this meeting and formally voted on later. Council members agreed to bring the single item — change to start time to 6:30 p.m. — back for a formal vote next month; proposed deletions of public comment and other agenda-language changes were left for further discussion.
The discussion clarified procedural next steps but did not adopt any permanent change to the public-comment rules. If the council votes to alter the bylaws next month, the change will be reflected in the council’s posted agenda and bylaws packet for that meeting.
