Council reviews proposed changes to public-comment and town-hall procedures

Waterproof city staff presented proposed changes to the city’s public-comment and town-hall procedures, including a consolidated public-comment segment before business items, a standardized three-minute speaking limit and new identification requirements for speakers.

Staff said the revision would define "public comment" as a discrete agenda item that occurs before business items so anyone with concerns about agenda items can speak while that item will still be discussed later in the meeting. The draft would require speakers to state their name and address for the record and be acknowledged by the mayor before speaking. For town-hall style items, staff proposed a similar three-minute limit and more permissive council follow-up questions to allow limited discussion.

Why it matters: the changes are intended to give members of the public clear expectations about when they will be heard and to streamline council meetings. Council members asked whether limits should also apply to total time for an item and whether repeat speakers on the same topic should be restricted; staff said comparable jurisdictions typically place both a per-person time limit and an overall limit for a topic and that staff can provide model language.

Staff emphasized the rules would retain the public-hearing framework where presenters must submit a topic and address, and council could extend time by majority vote. No ordinance was adopted at the meeting; staff said it will draft specific language and return with comparative examples for council consideration.