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Resident asks council to allow public comment on council items; county elections director urges Rathdrum poll workers and early voting
Summary
A resident urged council review of city code that she said prevents public comment at council meetings when matters had prior hearings; Kootenai County elections director Asa Gray announced Oct. 20–31 early voting and requested poll workers for Rathdrum.
During the visitor‑comment period, resident Stacy O'Connell of North Highway 41 urged the council to review city code she said limits public comment at city council meetings when an item already has had a public hearing. O'Connell said community members have been prevented from speaking at council meetings and that the council should "gather all the information, which includes comments from the community before making a decision." She asked the council to consider amending the code to ensure constituents can speak directly to the council on items that affect them.
Also during public comment, Asa Gray, who identified himself as the elections director for Kootenai County, briefed the council on early voting for the November election. Gray said early voting at the elections office in Coeur d'Alene runs Oct. 20–31 (Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.), described the ID and check‑in process and said it is the same process as election‑day voting. Gray said the elections office is seeking additional poll workers, specifically noting needs in the Rathdrum area, and offered flyers for council members to distribute.
Stacy O'Connell: "The public, your constituents, should be able to talk to you and express their concerns." Asa Gray: "We start early voting October 20 and it goes through October 31, Monday to Friday 8 to 5."
The council did not take formal action during public comment; the transcript records the remarks and the requests for code review and for poll‑worker recruitment.
