CB11 bylaws committee approves wording change for committee chairs, refers gallery‑slip dispute to full board

The Community Board 11 Bylaws Committee on Oct. 26 approved an amendment to Article 5, Section 3 clarifying who may set the time, date and agenda for committee meetings, referred a disputed change to the gallery‑session (public comment) rules to the full board for a vote, and approved a bylaw change to merge the Economic Development and Public Safety committees.

The committee adopted revised wording for Article 5, Section 3 — largely grammatical and procedural clarifications that, among other things, replace “chairperson” with “chair” and state that a standing committee “shall determine the time, date, place, and agenda of all meetings and hearings.” Committee chair Sandra Unger presided over the meeting. Committee members voted to accept the amendment; the committee chair announced there were no oppositions or abstentions.

The gallery‑session debate was the meeting’s most contested topic. The proposed Article 6, Section 13 language would require that gallery‑session speakers at full board meetings receive an initial two minutes of uninterrupted speaking time, and would allow additional time at the presiding officer’s discretion. The draft also included a requirement that speakers “register with board staff at least 36 hours in advance”; committee members argued over whether that requirement should be absolute, permissive, or subject to chair discretion to allow late in‑person signups and other forms of contact (phone, office visit). District staff member Jeremy said the 36‑hour rule was “enacted during COVID” and that the office historically allowed a limited number of exceptions; David Levitt argued the right of the public to speak before a meeting is “fundamental to the work of this board.”

After extended discussion — including concerns about access for seniors and people without online access, and about the office’s ability to screen or prioritize speakers by constituency — the committee voted to put David Levitt’s proposal (to preserve gallery slips available immediately before each full board meeting) before the full board for an up‑or‑down vote. The committee recorded one objection to taking the matter to the full board; otherwise the motion to refer the measure passed.

Other business: the committee agreed to forward Naomi’s proposed “transformation committee” to the full board so Naomi can present its scope to all board members; committee members said the item needs fuller explanation before a committee vote. The committee also voted to merge the Economic Development and Public Safety committees and instructed staff to prepare the bylaw language for full‑board action.

Public commenters and several committee members pressed for clarity on practical details: what information the registration form will request (the current online form asks for name, organization and subject and has an address field), whether the public hearing required by the city charter remains an available forum for ad hoc comments, and how the presiding officer’s discretion would be exercised when multiple late speakers arrive. Committee members proposed limiting total speaking time so the gallery session remains manageable; one proposal discussed during the meeting was a five‑minute total allotment (two minutes initial plus up to three minutes for questions/comments).

The committee expects to transmit the proposed amendments and recorded recommendations to the full board for its next meeting. Pending full‑board action, the Article 5, Section 3 amendment was adopted at the committee level and the economic/public‑safety committee merger will proceed to formal amendment language for the board record.