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Committee advances substitute to public-comment rule, adds law-department'tested "disruptive presence" language
Summary
The committee approved a substitute to Resolution 20250310 that keeps a 30-speaker cap and two-minute limit for public comment, replaces "respectful presence" with "disruptive presence," and adopts law-department language intended to be more legally durable; the measure moves to the full council for second reading.
The Council Operations, Information Technology and Public Transportation Committee approved a substitute to Resolution 20250310 on the committee's public-comment rules, keeping a limit of 30 speakers at the start of meetings and two minutes per speaker while adding law-department language addressing "disruptive presence." The committee voted to forward the amended rule to the full council for second reading.
The sponsor (unnamed in the transcript) said the substitute updates the rule that the council adopted last year and implements law-department suggestions intended to align the county's language with wording upheld by other jurisdictions. "Last year ... we amended the rules on public comment to provide some limits on the number of speakers, to reduce the speaking time to 2 minutes ... we said that we want to review this rule again in a year," the sponsor said, explaining that the review has come due and that the substitute simply adds the law department's recommended wording on the disruptive-behavior standard.
Jared Zvertoski of the county law department explained the legal rationale: "The change from obscenity to undue profanity is that we believe ... obscenity is likely void for vagueness," Zvertoski said, adding that "undue profanity" has a tighter legal record and more case law to rely on. He said the intent is to allow some impassioned language that remains protected speech while providing a clearer standard where speech crosses into disorderly or disruptive conduct.
Committee members also confirmed that the substitute preserves the two primary features of the existing rule: limiting speaking time to two minutes and capping public comment at 30 speakers. The substitute removes chair discretion to set a different speaking length from the rule itself but preserves that discretion in online guidance so the chair may still handle exceptional requests informally.
Chair moved approval and the committee recorded aye votes with no opposition. The committee forwarded the amended rule to the full council for second reading.
What happens next: The amended rule will be considered by the full Cuyahoga County Council at second reading; the committee did not suspend rules and did not adopt the amendment as final policy.
