Elbert County commissioners adopt updated meeting policy; invocation policy amended to allow chaplain option for future consideration

The Board of County Commissioners voted to approve updates to the Elbert County Commissioners Meeting Policy, including an increase in public comment time from three to five minutes.

County Attorney Art Greer said the updates were mainly housekeeping and that the single significant change in the draft was expansion of public-comment time. Greer also noted procedural language about deadlines for submitting written comments for items published with the agenda.

During public comment, speakers urged that invocations and chaplains represent the community’s religious diversity. Greer had earlier presented a proposed update to the county’s Invocation Policy that would permit — but not require — the appointment of a chaplain. The draft language makes a chaplain option available; it does not create a mandatory chaplain position. The board discussed the invocation policy and received public comment but did not vote to adopt the invocation changes at the Feb. 26 meeting.

A commissioner who supported the meeting-policy update said three minutes “you don't really get by the time you get your name and address stated and get your thoughts collected, you're running half that time's gone,” and backed expanding the time for public commenters.

A motion to approve the meeting policy updates passed unanimously.

Ending: The meeting-policy changes take effect per county procedure; the invocation-policy draft will return for further consideration if the board schedules it for a future action item.