Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment Decorum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wausau council debates public-comment wording and signage rules; staff to research personnel-identification restriction
Summary
Council members discussed a proposed City of Wausau public-comment statement and whether it should bar naming or identifying specific personnel; members agreed to seek further research on the issue and to remove an outright signage prohibition from the rules.
The Wausau Common Council reviewed proposed language for a City of Wausau public-comment statement and discussed decorum rules for meetings, including whether the public should be barred from identifying specific personnel during comments and whether signage should be restricted.
Alder Killian pushed back on a draft sentence that would prevent members of the public from identifying specific personnel by name. "I think as you look around the country, I think, 1 of the things about our democracy is that we protect the freedom of speech," Killian said, arguing that citizens addressing the chair should be able to speak frankly. Other members expressed concern about public comments that "eviscerate a certain city employee" and urged balancing free speech with civility. The council asked staff to research whether Robert's Rules or other parliamentary procedures provide guidance on identifying individuals in public comment; the chair said staff would bring the matter back for further consideration.
On signage, staff reported they had not found municipal examples of broad signage prohibitions and noted that Ozaukee County's long rules prohibit signage during meetings; the group generally agreed not to adopt a strict sign ban at this time. Instead, members signaled a preference for education and a decorum summary rather than detailed ordinance language. One staff member recommended distributing an educational decorum sheet in chambers and with agendas: "Rather than enacting it into your ordinance, they'll put out a sheet like this, hand it out freely ... to educate people, citizens and council members alike."
The council also discussed creating a standing-rule decorum section but agreed the duties of the presiding officer and enforcement of civility largely default to Robert's Rules and current ordinance language that tasks the presiding officer with preserving order. No formal policy adoption occurred; council members asked staff to research the personnel-identification sentence and return with a recommendation.
Next steps: Staff will research parliamentary authority and case examples about identifying personnel in public comment and will return recommended language to a future meeting. The council agreed to remove signage regulation from the active rule discussion and pursue educational materials on decorum.
