Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Open Meetings Act topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City and county officials outline how LB43 changed public comment practices
Summary
Lincoln City Council and Lancaster County officials described adjustments to meeting rules under LB43 to expand public comment opportunities, including new agenda notice practices, time limits per speaker, and differing approaches across committees and regular meetings.
City and county officials described how they have adjusted meeting rules after the Nebraska Legislature amended the Open Meetings Act with LB43.
Sändra Washington, Lincoln City Council member, said she placed the item on the City-County Common agenda to compare how the two governing bodies have accommodated the statutory changes. Rick Vest, Lancaster County commissioner, said the County now includes a public-comment section on all meeting agendas where a quorum is present and requires subcommittees, including Assemble Lincoln, to provide public-comment opportunities. He said regular Tuesday county meetings allow non-agenda public comment with a five-minute limit per speaker and that the total public-comment period for those meetings has been shortened to 30 minutes. In committee and subcommittee meetings, Vest said public comments are limited to agenda items, with three minutes per speaker and a 15-minute total.
Washington said the Lincoln City Council permits public comment on agenda items during regular Monday meetings and holds twice-monthly sessions in which anyone may speak on any topic, typically with a five-minute limit per speaker. She said the Council is working to extend public-comment opportunities to other meetings, including the Director’s meeting, and that most committees already allow comment on both agenda and non-agenda items though formal time limits for those committee comments have not yet been established.
Matt Schulte, Lancaster County commissioner, told the group that the County has not seen a noticeable increase in public participation since the law change, but said the intent of LB43 was to create more opportunities for input. Sean Flowerday, Lancaster County commissioner, and Washington noted that budget meetings are scheduled separately from regular meetings to allow additional public comment opportunities.
Flowerday also highlighted that debate on LB43 in the Legislature focused in part on smaller county boards that meet infrequently and sometimes allow public comment only quarterly, an issue lawmakers weighed when considering the amendment.
Why it matters: The changes affect when and how residents can speak at City and County meetings and may shift where members of the public choose to comment. Officials said rules differ by body and by the type of meeting, and some committees are still formalizing time limits.
The Common Meeting did not take further action on LB43 beyond the discussion.
