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County attorney to draft public-comment policy after new state law; commissioners set basic limits
Summary
Commissioners directed county legal staff to draft a public-comment policy to comply with a new North Dakota law requiring public-comment opportunities at regular meetings; they tentatively set 30 minutes total and 3 minutes per speaker, with the chair able to permit earlier comment for items on the agenda.
Kelly Novak (staff member) briefed the commission on a new North Dakota law (effective Aug. 1) that requires local public bodies to include an opportunity for public comment at every regularly scheduled meeting and to adopt a policy governing that opportunity.
Why it matters: The statute formalizes public-comment practices for counties, cities, school districts and other local entities; the commission must adopt a policy that sets reasonable time limits and addresses decorum and confidentiality.
Key points and interim direction
Novak explained common policy choices and recommended parameters to bring back in draft form. The commission gave these directions for the draft: limit total public-comment time to up to 30 minutes per meeting; allow up to 3 minutes per speaker; do not permit a speaker to transfer their time to another person; allow written submissions to be provided to commissioners if submitted at least 24 hours before the meeting (otherwise the auditor will distribute them after the meeting); require speaker sign-up before the meeting (a “speaker card” with name and address) and limit comments to matters on the current agenda and the prior meeting’s agenda unless the chair allows otherwise; allow the chair discretion to call a speaker earlier if the agenda item is being discussed.
Novak said the statute requires names and addresses be provided by anyone speaking; the county will treat addresses as part of the record but will follow public-record rules on disclosures.
Next steps
Novak will prepare a draft policy that incorporates the points above and present it for commission review at a future meeting. Commissioners asked for a provision that allows the chair to call a speaker before the end of the meeting when the topic pertains to an active agenda item.
