Deltona city manager outlines meeting schedule and public-comment rules

City Manager Jim Chisholm told participants at Deltona’s Citizens Academy that the City Commission meets at least once a month and that the commission’s deliberations are run as a business meeting with structured public input. "But, I'm Jim Chisholm, and I'm the city manager for the city Of Deltona," Chisholm said as he described the meeting process and staff roles.

Chisholm said the commission changed the timing for public input to separate non-agenda commentary from the business portion of the meeting. "We set up a period of time specifically for that purpose... they want if they wanna talk about the moon or about the land or about, the state of Florida, all that's wide open in that first, 30 minutes," he said. He also said that for any agenda item that requires action, the commission solicits public comment when that item is called.

The change, Chisholm said, is intended to keep the formal business meeting focused while preserving a dedicated time for broader comments. He added that the city is required by its charter to hold at least one meeting a month, and that additional meetings or workshops are scheduled as needed. "The meeting charter says we gotta have 1 meeting a month," Chisholm said.

Residents at the class raised concerns about access and late-night meeting hours. Brandy White, a long-time Deltona resident who participated in the academy, asked how the city would handle citizen comments, complaints and unanswered emails if the commission reduced meeting frequency. She also said many meetings can run until 10 or 11 p.m., which can prevent attendance: "I would love to come to commission meetings and find out what's going on, but there's no way I can be here from 6 to 11." Chisholm said public comment is scheduled from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. and reiterated that each item with action also receives public input during the meeting.

Chisholm emphasized that when the commission takes action, responsibility for implementation is handed to a department head or project lead who then follows procurement rules and other regulations. He also said the city will advertise meetings and agendas weekly and encouraged residents to subscribe to city notices.

The session was informational; no commission action or policy change was taken during the Citizens Academy presentation. The academy leaders said future sessions will cover planning, code enforcement, finance and public safety and include field visits to city facilities.

For residents who cannot attend meetings, Chisholm and staff encouraged the use of email and the city’s notification services to receive agendas and meeting notices.