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Newberg commission notes council changes to public-comment rules, discusses accommodations and meeting time
Summary
Commission staff explained consolidated council rules that will stop reading written public comments aloud and permit dismissal of comments unrelated to the commission; commissioners discussed ADA accommodations, how to respond to coordinated comment campaigns, meeting-time changes and student-commissioner provisions.
The Newberg Historic Preservation Commission reviewed recent council changes to commission rules and discussed how the changes will affect public comment, meeting times and student-commissioner appointments.
Staff told commissioners that council consolidated multiple documents into a single set of commission rules and removed a previous policy that used an electronic voice to read written public comments aloud. "They are included in the record, but they're not read out," an unidentified staff member said, explaining the change and noting that ADA accommodations will still be provided on request.
Commissioners discussed concerns raised in recent public comments and the reason for the change: staff said the electronic-reading policy originated to avoid requiring staff to voice hateful or abusive content, but in practice few people asked to have their written comments read aloud. Commissioners also discussed controls to prevent coordinated "comment bombing" and the ability to decline unrelated comments at registration.
Other administrative items discussed included a likely shift of commission meetings from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. next year to improve staff schedules, and a proposed change to student-commissioner language that would allow one seat per commission to be reserved for a student but permit appointing an adult if no student applies; a vacant student seat would not count toward quorum.
The commission asked staff to provide the exact ORS references and other guidance on property-owner listing rules and to circulate the new consolidated rules and a training video once completed. The meeting closed with thanks to an outgoing member and adjournment.
