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Residents urge better access to public hearing materials and question three-minute comment rule
Summary
Residents and a professor told the Morris City Council that agenda materials were hard to find and that the council’s three-minute public-comment rule can disadvantage opponents; council members said materials are available at city hall and in notices but acknowledged communication gaps and discussed options to table decisions.
Residents and academics told the Morris City Council on Aug. 26 that the city’s public-hearing process can leave opponents without adequate time or access to information needed to respond.
Dr. Bzansen, a professor at the University of Minnesota Morris, told the council that at a recent TIFF discussion proponents were allowed extended time while opponents were limited to three minutes, calling that “viewpoint discrimination” and urging the council to review its public-comment policies. “That’s viewpoint discrimination. That’s unconstitutional,” Dr. Bzansen said.
The protest prompted an extended council discussion about how and when project materials are made available and whether opponents should be given the same presentation access as project proponents. Council members said packets are available at city hall and that legal notices run in the paper 10 days before hearings, but several council members agreed some members of the public do not realize those options exist.
Council members and City Manager Becca described practical options already in the council’s toolkit. Becca noted that materials presented in work sessions can be provided on request prior to a hearing, and council members pointed out that they can table decisions to give themselves and the public more time to review information. “We can just say, let’s table this till next meeting. I’d like to have more time to research this on my own,” one council member said.
Jim (Mr. Stoker), who spoke during public comment, said he could not find plain-language details about resolution 4057-08-25 on the city or state website and raised concern that a liquor-store project previously said to be funded from profits now appears tied to a $2 million bond and possible tax abatements. “As a member of the public, there was nothing I could find on the website…that told me exactly what this project was doing in plain English,” he said.
Mayor Wallace and other council members said the council’s current three-minute rule for unscheduled public comments was adopted after meetings grew large and that presenters listed on the agenda are given more time so they can present project details. The council discussed alternatives — such as allowing opposing presenters to be placed on the agenda or scheduling a follow-up hearing — but stopped short of changing the policy that night.
The council encouraged citizens to request materials from city hall in advance and suggested more outreach about where and how to obtain hearing documents. Several members said they would use tabling when they felt they needed more deliberation time. The meeting was adjourned into closed session at the end of the agenda.
