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Mayor seeks board consensus to add timed public-comment slot to future agendas
Summary
Kearney's mayor told the Nov. 4 meeting he received a $2,000 donation from the Constantino Charity Foundation and asked the board to add a timed 'open public comment' item before the consent agenda at future meetings; the mayor said the item would be procedural, posted on agendas, timed by an on-screen countdown and not used for dialogue to comply with sunshine rules.
At the start of the Nov. 4 meeting, the mayor announced a $2,000 donation from the Constantino Charity Foundation intended for the Kearney Police Department's 'Shop with a COP' program and asked the Board of Aldermen for a general consensus to add a timed 'open public comment' item to future agendas.
The mayor said the proposed public-comment item would be placed before the consent agenda, would not be used for dialogue or cross-examination, and the procedure would be posted on every agenda. He said the item would include a visible timer on the meeting screens that moves from green to yellow to red to mark allotted speaker time. The mayor asked the board for a head nod to add the procedure to future agendas and indicated he would remind speakers of the procedure when someone addressed the board during that item.
Several aldermen voiced support during discussion; the mayor said he appreciated the consensus and thanked the board. The mayor also asked staff to post related procedures on future meeting agendas.
Next steps: the mayor will add the posted procedure to upcoming agendas and implement the advertised on-screen timer when the item is scheduled.
