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Price council weighs role of workshops, cameraed meetings and tighter public-comment rules
Summary
Price city leaders debated whether to keep separate workshops or fold them into formal council meetings, agreed to boost department-head briefings in workshops, and discussed clearer public-comment procedures including sign-ups, time limits and a trial move of council meetings to 6 p.m.
Mayor Terry opened a discussion on whether the city’s workshop sessions should remain separate from formal council meetings or be combined, saying the key question is the workshop’s purpose: coordination among council members or a forum for public discussion.
The council debated transparency and usefulness. Council member (S8) said workshops are useful for coordination but ‘‘if we think our coordination and discussion should be public, then I think it should be in council.’’ Mayor Terry noted the council chambers now have a camera and stream, and several members urged more department-head reports at workshops so the council can ask budget and operational questions before items reach the formal agenda. ‘‘What I would like to see more in workshop is actually reports from the department heads,’’ Council member Willis said.
The council also spent significant time on public-comment procedures. Several members said public comment is essential to citizen access but agreed the city should set clearer rules to avoid heated back-and-forth and to ensure fairness. ‘‘I personally am in favor of public comment because I think citizens need to have access to their government,’’ Council member (S10) said, adding that the city should ‘‘tighten up how we do it.’’ Proposals discussed included a public-comment sign-up sheet at meeting check-in, a consistent time limit (two or three minutes per speaker), an option for a group spokesperson when many speakers share the same concern, and publishing rules and contact information on the agenda and the city website.
On meeting times, the mayor proposed a pilot schedule change: workshop at 5:00 p.m. and regular council at 6:00 p.m., starting in September so staff have time to adjust notices. Mayor Terry summarized the plan as ‘‘05:00 workshop, 06:00 city council’’ for the trial period. Supporters said the later council start may improve attendance by people working during the day; opponents noted that keeping public comment at the end lets people who arrive after work still speak.
What’s next: council members asked staff to draft a written public-comment policy that distinguishes public comment (not an agenda item) from formal agenda items, to include sign-up and time-limit options, and to return a proposal for adoption and re-noticing the meeting times if the trial proceeds.
