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Hagerstown council to draft tighter public-comment rules after work session discussion
Summary
Councilman Kristen Alshauer proposed requiring preregistration, limiting comments to city matters, enforcing a three-minute limit, and requiring speakers' names and addresses. Councilmembers generally agreed and asked staff to draft changes for review on Nov. 4.
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — During its Oct. 28 work session, the Mayor and City Council discussed revisions to the council's rules of procedure focused on the monthly public-comment period, with Councilman Kristen Alshauer urging stricter controls to keep remarks focused on city business.
Alshauer told colleagues he had circulated a draft and said, "This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I have never been a huge fan of our public comment period each month." He argued that modern channels such as email and social media reduce the need for lengthy in-person comment and that some speakers repeatedly use the podium to address matters "that have nothing to do with the…
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