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Commission approves handbook updates after debate over public‑comment order and pledge
Summary
The commission approved changes to the Livingston City Commission handbook, adding a threat‑response appendix and guidance that, in high‑volume situations, the chair may solicit public comment in a prioritized order and limit comment time to no less than three minutes. The proposal prompted strong public reaction and extensive edits by commissioners.
The Livingston City Commission approved a revised commission handbook after extended public comment and commissioner deliberation that focused on a proposed public‑comment ordering and other procedural clarifications.
City manager Grant Gager presented proposed edits that included appendix C (a draft threat‑response policy), changes reflecting the recently codified conflict‑of‑interest ordinance, and a new public‑comment procedure that, in situations with unusually high turnout, would prioritize comments from city residents and city business owners before county residents and other commenters. Gager said the changes reflect practices several other cities use to manage long meetings.
Nut graf: The public-comment ordering drew vocal criticism from residents who said categorizing commenters felt divisive and could intimidate participants; commissioners negotiated a compromise that adds chair discretion for high‑volume incidents and an explicit note that the chair may limit individual comment time to not less than three minutes in accordance with state law.
Residents at the meeting described the proposal as alienating. "This is very divisive," Leslie Fiegel of the Livingston Area Chamber of Commerce said during public comment, arguing that categorizing speakers into four groups would pit neighbors against one another.
Commissioners and staff discussed multiple technical edits proposed during deliberations. The city manager recorded nine specific edits for incorporation: language giving the chair discretion to solicit comments in prioritized order, an explicit note that the chair may limit public comment to no less than three minutes in high‑volume situations (per Montana law), corrections to table of contents references, updating historic‑preservation board language to reflect current practice, clarifying that the chair calls on the city manager to present agenda items (not outside parties directly), instructing members to route technical questions through the chair to the manager, updating the disclosure‑form requirement to 'required' (it is codified), and adding a reference to penalty provisions for closed‑meeting violations.
Commissioner discussion also touched on including the Pledge of Allegiance on the agenda; commissioners recorded mixed views and agreed to add it to future agendas at the manager's discretion. After the edits were recorded, the commission moved and seconded approval of the handbook as modified by the city manager; the motion carried on a recorded vote.
What happens next: the city manager will incorporate the edits into the handbook and circulate the revised document; staff will implement the new public‑comment process with the chair’s discretion for high‑volume situations and will note the statutory minimum time limit.
