Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Procedures topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Clearwater Community Development Board debates prayer, leaves public-comment slot in place
Summary
At its June 17 meeting the board debated removing the monthly public-comment period for matters not on the agenda and separately revisited whether to open meetings with a prayer. The board took no formal rule changes and asked the city attorney for legal guidance before any change.
The Clearwater Community Development Board on June 17 debated removing the meeting time set aside for public comment on matters not on the agenda and separately considered reinstating an opening prayer, but made no formal changes to its rules of procedure.
Lauren Nanske, Planning and Development, told the board the city does not require the board to provide a public-comment period for matters not on the agenda and that removing it would require an amendment to the board’s rules of procedure. “The board, I’ve learned, is not required to include this time for public comment for public comments for items specifically not on the agenda,” Nanske said.
Members expressed mixed views about keeping the slot. One board member said the segment has occasionally produced substantive comments that helped downtown planning, while others said last month’s speakers included off-topic remarks and that other city bodies have eliminated similar opportunities.
The more extended portion of the meeting focused on a proposal to restore an opening prayer. A board member asked that prayer be added back to meetings; several members said they could support a short, nondenominational script or a rotating approach. Jay, counsel to the board, strongly cautioned against reinstating an invocation. “I continue to recommend against this. I, just out of prudence,” Jay said, adding that legal contours and potential constitutional challenges made the practice legally unwise even if not strictly unlawful.
Chair Michael Bluskas said the board would not act immediately. “If we’re not really inclined to pass a change, I won’t even take a motion at all on this,” Bluskas said, and asked members to return with concrete proposals at the next meeting. The board asked the city attorney to prepare a memo describing the legal parameters and practical implications of reinstating prayer and of removing the public-comment slot.
No vote was taken on either change. The board’s discussion leaves the current rules in place until members review written guidance and decide whether to place a formal amendment on a future agenda.
