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Community Board 11 ethics committee approves bylaw changes setting public‑comment and elected‑official time limits
Summary
The Community Board 11 ethics committee approved two bylaw amendments: Article 6, Section 13 guaranteeing two minutes of uninterrupted time for gallery speakers, and a change to Article 6, Section 14 setting an initial five‑minute statement for elected officials with up to four responses capped at 10 minutes; one member abstained on the latter.
The Community Board 11 ethics committee voted at its November meeting to adopt two bylaw changes that clarify public‑comment and elected‑official speaking procedures.
The first adopted amendment (Article 6, Section 13) guarantees gallery (public) speakers two minutes of uninterrupted speaking time at both committee and full board meetings. Chair Ryan Barthel moved to accept the proposed changes and Jeanette Wilson seconded; the motion passed unanimously.
The second amendment (Article 6, Section 14) sets a uniform speaking structure for elected officials: an initial five‑minute uninterrupted statement, followed by responses to at most four questions or comments from board members with a 10‑minute cap on total responses. The chair moved to discard the first proposed variant and accept the second; that motion was seconded and carried with one abstention from Lisa Balow. The transcript did not record a roll‑call vote count beyond the recorded abstention.
During debate members discussed and rejected a permanent carve‑out that would grant the Bronx Borough President an extended automatic speaking slot; instead the committee considered scheduling dedicated town‑hall sessions with the Borough President’s office to provide additional time when needed. Several members said a town‑hall approach would allow broader constituent participation without disrupting the standard meeting agenda.
The committee also discussed procedural follow‑ups including notifying visiting officials in advance about time limits and implementing the new language in future agendas. The changes will be forwarded per normal board process for inclusion in the board’s governance materials.
