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County commissioners discuss limits on public testimony, propose 20‑minute nonagenda period
Summary
The Multnomah County Board debated capping non‑agenda public testimony to 20 minutes (three minutes per speaker with provision for interpreters), and discussed options to improve the influence of testimony on agenda items and to stage prior briefings for contentious items.
Multnomah County commissioners debated how much time to allot for non‑agenda public testimony and how to structure testimony on agenda items so community input can meaningfully influence decisions.
Chief of Staff Jenny Smith told the board the county currently allows signups for non‑agenda public testimony through the Wednesday before a meeting, accepts in‑person signups the day of the meeting and typically allows up to 12 speakers (three minutes each, reduced to two minutes if more than nine signups) to keep non‑agenda testimony to about 30 minutes.
“Currently Multnomah County's practice is to accept sign ups for public testimony…until the Wednesday the day before the board meeting,” Smith said. Christian Elkin, the county budget director, and several commissioners said scheduling constraints during the April–June budget period increase the risk that lengthy public testimony will truncate the board’s deliberations on complex agenda items.
Commissioner Moyer and others raised a related concern: when testimony arrives only at the meeting where the board is voting, there is limited opportunity for commissioners to revise proposals in response. Moyer said that practice can leave the public with little chance to influence final language unless the board postpones action or schedules multi‑step consideration (for example, first and second readings of ordinances).
Commissioners discussed specific proposals: shortening the non‑agenda period to 20 minutes, holding an explicit “AM/PM” notation rather than a fixed start time on the posted calendar, creating waitlists for speakers when slots are full and explicitly guaranteeing additional time for attendees who need interpretation services. Commissioner Jones Dixon proposed keeping board practice flexible for agenda items that draw sustained public interest (for example, allowing extended testimony for high‑interest votes).
The board directed staff to draft revised public testimony guidance for commissioners' review; staff said they will update the county website and the sign‑up confirmation messages to reflect any new rules. Commissioners asked staff to include accessibility language (reserved additional time for people who require interpretation) and to set clearly what happens when speakers do not appear or when requests exceed allotted time.
Ending: Staff will circulate a draft of revised testimony procedures and post changes to the public website after board review.
