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Freeport council adopts revised meeting rules after debate over agenda access and speaking time
Summary
The Freeport City Council approved ordinance 2025-37 updating council rules, including allowing two aldermen (with a supporting memo) to place items on the agenda and limiting member remarks to two turns of four minutes each after a contentious debate and public comments about silencing.
The Freeport City Council adopted Ordinance 2025-37 on second reading on a 5-3 vote, changing the council’s rules for placing items on the agenda, the order of business and member speaking time.
The ordinance, as amended, lets two aldermen place an item on the agenda provided they supply a supporting memo; it also updates the "order of business" to include informational and ceremonial presentations and sets each alderman’s two speaking turns at up to four minutes unless extended by majority vote.
Why it matters: The changes alter how individual council members can put items before the council and how meetings are structured. Supporters said the revisions clarify long-practiced procedures; opponents said the changes threaten minority voices and were not sufficiently discussed before being put on the agenda.
Attorney Zito summarized the proposal at the start of the discussion: “As proposed, there was a change that said that it would require a majority of the aldermen to place an item on the agenda. Alderman…
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