Owen County board debates public‑comment timing and sign‑in rules for crowded meetings

Board members reviewed procedures for public comment, including reintroducing a time clock and a sign‑in list for meetings with high turnout. Unidentified Speaker 3 suggested a speaker clock 'for the presenters and for the public' and proposed limiting speakers to five minutes when many people are signed up to speak.

Unidentified Speaker 2 recalled that the board had previously tried a timed system for a crowded planning commission meeting: 'That one was spilling out into the outside and down the stairs.' Members agreed a sign‑in sheet and a visible timer would help manage long speaker lists and prevent repeated appearances by the same individuals.

The board discussed setting a threshold (for example, more than five people signed up) to trigger the timed speaker rule and acknowledged past logistical difficulties in capturing every name when meetings became extremely crowded. The chair and other members agreed to reinstate a five‑minute time limit for comment in situations with many speakers and to use sign‑in to call speakers in turn.

The meeting record shows this as a procedural decision in principle; no formal ordinance or binding rule change was adopted at this session, and details on how the sign‑in and timing will be implemented were left to staff and future coordination.