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 business of the county," said Member Ozark, arguing the 30-minute limit and electronic comment options provided sufficient public input and prevented meetings from running several hours.

Members who supported a fixed 60-minute allotment said a single, non-discretionary rule would give people who travel to the county confidence they will be heard. "If we're already saying that it is 60 minutes, then they're more likely to have that opportunity to share their viewpoints," said Member Rutledge.

Several members urged clearer, consistent practice going forward. Member Cahill said the board should agree that when the gallery is full, the committee should add time so people who traveled to the meeting can speak. Member Heather favored changing the bylaw to 60 minutes to avoid last-minute debates about extending time: "I'd rather have that time extended now versus have to debate or be doubtful in that moment." Member Glassie and others described the earlier vote to stop public comment as a regrettable but deliberate roll-call decision and said the record should show who voted to extend and who did not.

Committee staff and counsel joined the discussion. The state's attorney's office advised that a suspension of the time allotment during a meeting requires a two-thirds majority, and staff clarified the change to the bylaw would need to appear on a future agenda for formal consideration. Bill, a county staff member who answered a procedural question, said the earlier phase-one/phase-two work (in a separate agenda item) had been done pre-pandemic but did not assert any legal requirement related to public-comment rules.

At the end of the discussion the chair asked for a show of hands to gauge consensus: 10 members indicated they preferred to keep the 30-minute rule and 6 indicated they would support changing it to one hour. The chair said there would be no immediate change and that the issue would return to a future agenda for formal action if members desire.

The committee did not adopt a bylaw amendment on March 11; members asked staff to place the matter on a future agenda for formal consideration so the board can vote with full notice.

Looking ahead, members suggested modest operational changes to improve public comment: requiring speakers to keep to the three-minute limit and considering visible timers in the public gallery so speakers can see remaining time. Member Aid also suggested returning material from recent national conferences to the board in writing or short presentations so members who did not attend can benefit from shared insights.