Committee endorses 5:30–5:30 electronic public‑comment window, closes in‑person signups once comment period begins

The operations committee recommended that the district open electronic public‑comment signups on a 24‑hour schedule and stop accepting in‑person signups once the public‑comment period starts.

Committee members said the change is meant to balance accessibility for working parents and the administrative load on staff. "I had recommended, 24 hours in advance," said one committee member advocating the longer window; "the process that we have now appears to be working," said Dallas, who urged preserving existing elements of the process while adding cutoffs. Administrative staff member Molly told the committee she would "look into that" and confirm whether the district’s JotForm can be set to open and close automatically.

Why it matters: the committee is revising how residents sign up to speak so the district can accommodate people who work or have childcare responsibilities while preventing last‑minute signups that create extra work for staff during meetings. Members agreed on several operational details: require one topic per form entry, add optional demographic categories (for reporting on who engages), and display the rule that first‑period public comments must address items on the meeting agenda.

The committee’s motion — offered by Ingrid and seconded by Dallas — directs staff to configure electronic comments to be open on a 24‑hour cycle from 5:30 to 5:30 and to disallow in‑person signups once the public‑comment period begins; committee members said they will forward the change to the full board. The motion passed by unanimous consent in committee.

What was decided and next steps: the committee recorded consensus on the 5:30 to 5:30 window, one‑topic‑per‑entry and optional demographic fields. Molly will check JotForm timing options and staff will prepare the revised form and rules for presentation to the full board at its next meeting.