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Richland County adopts public-comment rules to comply with SB 2180
Summary
The County adopted Resolution R-69 to implement SB 2180: public comment will be the first non-procedural agenda item; speakers must submit a card with name, address and the agenda item, are limited to three minutes each and 30 minutes total, and written comments submitted 24 hours early will be circulated.
The Richland County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution July 22 to implement SB 2180's new public-comment requirements for regular meetings.
Assistant State's Attorney Rydell told the board the resolution had been prepared for the county; State's Attorney Kummer reviewed the draft and asked Commissioner Perry Miller to review as well. On a motion by Commissioner Nathan Berseth, seconded by Commissioner Rollie Ehlert, the board approved the resolution (R-69) that specifies how the county will handle public comment at regular meetings.
Key provisions in the adopted policy include: requiring a speaker card (name, address and identification of a current or previous meeting agenda item) submitted to the Auditor/Administrator before the meeting is called to order; a three-minute time limit per speaker with staff notification when time expires; a 30-minute total limit on the public-comment agenda item regardless of the number of speakers; and a prohibition on comments that are defamatory, abusive, harassing or unlawful. The resolution also allows written comments to be submitted in lieu of in-person remarks; written comments received at least 24 hours before a meeting will be circulated to commissioners prior to the meeting and addressed at the meeting, while written comments received less than 24 hours prior will be circulated after the meeting and not addressed at that meeting.
The resolution states the county will call on speakers in the order their speaker cards were submitted and requires comments to address the agenda item listed on the card and be pertinent to county business. The policy supersedes previous county practices on public comment.
The county placed the full resolution text in the meeting record.
