DuPage County finance committee keeps 30-minute public-comment rule after heated debate; no bylaw change voted

The DuPage County Finance Committee on March 11 debated whether to change its public-comment rule from 30 minutes to 60 minutes but did not vote to alter the bylaw, instead leaving the current rule in place after members expressed sharply divided views.

The discussion mattered because two weeks earlier the committee declined to extend public comment during a contentious agenda item, and many members said voters who traveled to the meeting did not have their chance to speak. Committee members reopened the issue at the March 11 meeting to consider a permanent change.

Members who favored keeping the rule said a 30-minute limit, with the option to extend by majority vote, protects the committee's ability to conduct business and prevents multi-hour meetings that can disrupt staff and other county operations. "We have an obligation to conduct the…