Portsmouth task force asks community engagement committee to draft public‑comment rules and considers youth participation

The Portsmouth Gun Violence Prevention Task Force debated a structured public‑comment process and whether and how minors should be included, and it asked the community engagement committee to draft a recommended policy for the February meeting.

Chair opened the agenda item on public comments and asked members for input on format, sign-up and time limits. Several members recommended mirroring the city council's existing sign-up and time-limit procedures; others said the task force should selectively adopt or adapt parts of the council policy to suit this body. "I am definitely in agreeance of allowing the public to speak. I think it's critical for us to hear from the public," said Leticia Sessoms, a task‑force member. Multiple members urged a time limit and a sign-up process to keep meetings productive.

Members discussed how to include youth voices. Some spoke in favor of allowing juveniles to give public comment while protecting their identity or requiring parental involvement for those under 18. "If we're gonna mirror what the city council does, then we should just be mindful that we include, or remove any language that says that adults only can speak," a council liaison said. Several members proposed additional outreach options — a youth forum, anonymous surveys, or ad hoc committees — so that young people or those uncomfortable attending City Hall could still participate.

Miss Matthews was asked to distribute the city council's public comment policy to members. The community engagement committee was assigned to draft recommended public‑comment language and outreach steps, including suggested survey questions, and to bring a recommendation to the full task force at its Feb. 3 meeting. Members agreed they would prefer to have a written policy in place before opening the floor to public comment.

To move the work forward, the task force scheduled a work session for Monday, Jan. 27, at 6 p.m., and the next regular meeting for Monday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m.; Miss Matthews will circulate location details and the city council policy by email.

The discussion left several procedural questions unresolved for committee work: what an appropriate age policy should be for speaking at an open public meeting, how to balance on‑camera appearances with privacy for youth, and how to prioritize speaker categories (for example, business owners, parents, youth). The community engagement committee will address those items when preparing the draft policy.