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Scott County commissioners approve public-comment ordinance; second reading required
Summary
The Board of Commissioners voted 2–1 to adopt an administrative ordinance establishing rules for public comment at meetings — including a three-minute speaker limit, a prohibition on speech that is defamatory or gratuitously profane, and procedures for removal — with a second reading scheduled to satisfy ordinance-adoption rules.
The Scott County Board of Commissioners voted 2–1 to adopt an administrative ordinance formalizing rules for public comment at commissioner meetings and said they would schedule a second reading as required for an ordinance.
The draft ordinance would require any individual wishing to address the board to sign a public-comment sign-in sheet before the meeting, limit speakers to three minutes once per meeting, prohibit yielding time to others, and give the board authority to extend or limit comment by majority vote. The ordinance also sets behavior standards during public comment, saying a speaker may be removed for “gratuitous profanity,” discriminatory or personally attacking remarks, or any conduct that would otherwise be criminally disorderly or defamatory.
During discussion, a county attorney explained the legal background and said Indiana law does not generally guarantee a right to speak at a public meeting (an exception exists for school boards) but that counties frequently adopt procedures to secure a right to speak and set reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions. The attorney said the draft ordinance was meant to provide clarity for both the public and the commissioners without preventing heated or spirited debate.
The motion to adopt passed at the meeting by voice vote, recorded as 2–1; because the county considered the measure an administrative ordinance that requires either unanimous consent for single-reading adoption or a second reading, the board scheduled a follow-up reading at the next meeting. No penalties or enforcement beyond removal from a meeting were enacted at this stage; the ordinance will take final effect after the required procedural step.
Why this matters: The ordinance clarifies how the county will take and manage public comment, balancing free-speech concerns with the board’s need to conduct orderly meetings. The measure changes long-standing informal practice and establishes written ground rules.
What’s next: A second reading will be held at the board’s next meeting to complete the adoption process.
