Council members on Jan. 13, 2025 discussed the city’s rules for public comment and what role council should take when residents raise issues not on the meeting agenda.

Speakers addressed recent criticism that the council limits public speaking time; meeting remarks clarified that state open-meeting rules restrict council responses to matters not on the agenda, meaning the council generally cannot engage in debate or provide immediate answers to off-agenda items. One council member said the city attorney and the state attorney general have presented seminars explaining that the law prevents council from responding substantively to topics not listed on the agenda.

Council members said they want residents to feel heard and encouraged residents to use agenda items to ensure full discussion; they also discussed the option of allowing public comments but emphasized that any substantive follow-up would be handled later in the process. The transcript records council members urging residents to sign in and noting the three-minute limit for public comments; it also records a council member saying that if the council reopens broader public comment opportunities, members will be careful not to reply substantively during the meeting.

The transcript records the internal discussion about the balance between access and legal limits but does not show the council adopting any change to its public comment procedures during the Jan. 13 session.