Council tables proposed limits on public comment and council speaking turns

The Livingston Parish Council voted to table a proposed amendment to the council’s public comment policy that would have reduced speaking times for council members and members of the public.

The proposal, presented by the chair and described in a staff summary, would have reduced council member speaking time on an agenda item to three minutes for an initial comment and 90 seconds for a second comment on the same item, and would have shortened public-speaker times from four minutes to three minutes (five minutes for formal presentations). The chair said the change was intended to "help clean up our meetings a little bit" and noted the chair would retain discretion to allow extra time.

A newly elected councilman who identified himself during the discussion argued council members sometimes need more time to ask follow-up questions and opposed limiting council speaking turns in the public-comment rules. He moved to table the proposal and asked council members to provide feedback by email. The motion to table passed 5–4; the speaker recorded the nays as "myself, Councilman Wascom, and Councilman Bangers" in the meeting record.

Council members who supported tabling said they wanted time to review the language and to provide input as a body before the council adopts rules that would change member speaking privileges. No substantive changes were adopted at the meeting; the item was left open for written input and later consideration.