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Winchester council drops hourly cap, restores 3-minute public comment after hours of testimony
Summary
After extensive public comment, Winchester City Council approved a revised public comment and public hearing policy that restores a three-minute speaker limit, removes a proposed one-hour total cap and allows speakers to give a ZIP code instead of a full address; council also confirmed reasonable-accommodation language.
The Winchester City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a revised public comment and public hearing policy that restores a three-minute time limit per speaker, removes a proposed one-hour maximum for the public comment period and clarifies that speakers may provide a ZIP code instead of a full street address.
The change followed more than an hour of public testimony at the Jan. 28 meeting in which dozens of residents urged councilors not to restrict public participation. The council approved the policy by voice vote after a friendly amendment to let speakers state their name and address or ZIP code and an explicit statement that the presiding officer will provide reasonable accommodations, which can include additional time or other measures.
Council action…
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