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Carrollton amends code to add public‑meeting decorum rules; council keeps chair discretion for forum placement
Summary
Council added new sections on public‑meeting decorum and citizen participation to the City Code; the ordinance includes a warning mechanism to address disruptive recordings or staged mockery, and council preserved chair authority to place public forum on the agenda.
The Carrollton City Council on Sept. 9 voted to amend the city code by adding sections that establish public‑meeting rules of decorum, citizen participation procedures and consequences for disruption. The ordinance was presented as a response to recorded incidents elsewhere in which individuals staged disruptive behavior for social media.
Council discussion and staff materials said the changes provide a graduated warning mechanism and allow the chair to curtail disruptive conduct that is intended to mock meetings. Councilmember Palacios moved approval with minor textual edits and the removal of a clause that would have fixed the public‑forum to the end of regular meeting agendas; the change leaves placement of the public forum to the discretion of the chair and the council.
Former council member Adam Holter had addressed the council earlier, asking that the public forum remain at the start of meetings for accessibility. Councilmembers said the adopted language does not prevent the chair from moving a posted public forum earlier in the agenda and noted that the ordinance aims to balance open participation with the ability to maintain a respectful meeting environment.
