Gurnee board codifies public-comment and decorum rules; measure passes 5–1

The Village Board on April 21 adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 2 of the municipal code to add a section on procedures for public comment and decorum at public meetings, formalizing time limits and sign-up procedures the board said were already common practice.

Pat (village staff) and the village attorney drafted the ordinance to record longstanding procedures and to clarify application. The ordinance establishes a 30-minute public-comment period before the consent agenda limited to agenda items (maximum three minutes per person), and a 60-minute public-comment period at the end of the meeting that covers agenda items or topics within the village’s purview (maximum three minutes per person). Individuals may speak once at the start-of-meeting comment period and once at the end; the chair may extend an individual’s time or the overall time, the ordinance says.

Resident Keith Owens spoke in support during the public comment period, thanking the board and Mayor Thomas Hood for codifying what Owens described as "common practice" and noting the ordinance includes language allowing the chair to extend time where appropriate. "There's common practice, and then there's what's the rule," Owens said on the record.

Trustees discussed the sign-up sheet mechanism, confirming that it will serve as an order of speakers and help avoid people lining up at the podium for hot topics. At roll call the measure passed 5–1; Mayor Thomas Hood cast the lone negative vote.

Ending: The ordinance codifies rules already used in practice, setting explicit time limits and sign-up procedures and giving the chair formal authority to extend speaking time. The new section will be posted in council chambers and on the village website as described in the ordinance.