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Walled Lake council directs city attorney to draft code of conduct for audience participation
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Summary
Council voted to have the city attorney draft formal language on council and staff conduct during audience participation after members complained about responses to public commenters and sought a clear, enforceable policy.
The Walled Lake City Council voted to ask the city attorney to draft formal code-of-conduct language intended to govern council and staff interactions with members of the public during audience participation periods.
Councilmember Speaker 2 introduced the idea after citing incidents at a prior meeting and said the goal is to protect free-speech rights while preventing hostile on-stage interactions. He proposed members and staff should refrain from responding in person or by gesture during public comments and suggested penalties for violations, ranging from formal admonishment to staff discipline.
Other council members pressed for carefully worded language to avoid First Amendment conflicts and to preserve reasonable opportunities for polite clarification and follow-up. One council member asked for a narrow, non-gray formulation; the city attorney (Speaker 15) said he would review the charter and ordinances and provide draft language for the next meeting.
On a motion to instruct the city attorney to prepare code-of-conduct language, the council voted by roll call to approve the directive. Councilmembers agreed the city attorneywould present proposed language at the next meeting for council consideration and refinement.
What happens next: The city attorney will draft proposed language and return it to the council for review. If the council adopts code changes, staff will incorporate them into meeting procedures and public-facing materials.
