Council debates options to allow non-agenda public comment; subcommittee recommended

Bryn Meredith and outside counsel presented options for expanding public-comment opportunities beyond currently posted agenda items, describing two local models: Bedford, which allows placement on the agenda when residents submit written requests by the Wednesday noon before a Tuesday meeting, and Flower Mound, which permits non-agenda speech subject to content-neutral time limits and allows donated time but can cause extended hearings.

Meredith said councils must avoid viewpoint-based rules and may adopt reasonable, content-neutral time limits for non-agenda items; he outlined possible controls such as a cap on total non-agenda public-comment minutes or allowing only the first 10 sign-ups to speak for a fixed total time. Council members questioned how to prevent abuse (for example, people using public comment to repeat demonstrably false claims with no chance for deliberation) and whether the mayor or two council members should be required to place citizen requests on future agendas.

Council members proposed practical measures: posting an accessible form on the city website, offering a process where a mayoral denial could be appealed to two council members, educating the public about the mechanism, and forming a three-member subcommittee of council and staff to research options and return recommendations. No formal rule change was adopted at the meeting; council asked interested members to volunteer for the subcommittee.

Next steps: staff to draft a citizen request form and the council-appointed subcommittee will evaluate models and recommend a policy for council consideration.