Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board holds first reading of revised Policy 1400 on meeting conduct, public comment and recordings
Summary
The board held a first reading of revised Policy 1400, which clarifies scheduling of meetings, limits public-comment time to three minutes per speaker, requires morning signups for callers, and institutes audio recordings of regular meetings where final action or testimony is taken, retained for at least one year.
Board President Wheelander led the first reading of a proposed revision to Policy 1400 (Meeting Conduct, Order of Business, Quorum). The item was presented as a first reading; the board will review the language again at the next meeting before a possible vote.
Key changes in the draft policy presented to the board include:
- Scheduling: The revision clarifies that the board will hold only one meeting in April, July, August and December. - Public comment time limits: Individual public comments will be limited to three minutes, "or less as deemed appropriate by the president of the board," and speakers may not cede their time to another person. - Remote callers: Individuals calling into the meeting must submit requests to speak by 9 a.m. on the day of the meeting. - Recordings: Effective June 20, 2024, the policy would require audio recordings of all regular and special meetings at which final action is taken or formal public testimony is accepted (excluding executive/exempt or emergency meetings). The recordings would be maintained for at least one year and include comments from directors and the public.
"Personally, I would rather hear from a 100 people than 1 person a 100 times. I would like to see everybody that wants to speak, speak for themselves," Board President Wheelander said while explaining the public-comment clarifications.
Several board members emphasized that the intent of the changes is to clean up language and encourage public comment while discouraging personal attacks. The policy revision is scheduled for additional consideration and a potential vote at a future meeting; no final action was taken during this session.
