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Griggs County adopts public-comment policy under new state law; limits set for comments
Summary
Commissioners adopted a county public comment policy required by recent state legislation. The policy sets a 30-minute public comment period overall, a three-minute limit per speaker, requires sign-up before the meeting and focuses comments on current or past agenda items.
The Griggs County Commission adopted a public-comment policy at its July 8 meeting to comply with recently enacted state legislation (referred to in the meeting as House Bill 2180).
Assistant or legal counsel presented a draft policy adapted from League of Cities guidance that requires speakers to sign up with the auditor before the meeting, limits comments to current or past agenda items, caps individual comments at three minutes and limits the total public comment period to 30 minutes. The policy also specifies that speakers may not yield their time to others.
Commissioners discussed placing the public-comment period early in the meeting so people would not need to sit through an entire agenda to be heard. The commission settled on adding the public-comment period into the agenda near the beginning of the meeting (after roll call, agenda approval and minutes) so residents can present views before discussion proceeds.
The policy was adopted by motion; commissioners voted in favor by roll-call. The county must have a policy in place by Aug. 1, 2025, and the commission said the adopted policy can be modified later if needed.
Why it matters: The state requirement prompted counties and cities to establish written public-comment rules. The policy aims to balance orderly public participation with efficient meeting management by setting time limits and a sign-up process.
Next steps: The county will include the public-comment item on future agendas per the adopted schedule and make the policy available to the public. Commissioners can propose future changes to the policy if practice shows adjustments are needed.
