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Council discusses tightening public hearing and public comment rules
Summary
Council members and town attorney Paul Coutts reviewed proposed changes to public hearing and public comment procedures after a contentious November hearing, debating whether to limit post-hearing comments to those who pre-register or allow additional speakers at the end to respond to testimony.
Council members reviewed a draft update to the town's public hearing and public comment rules prepared after the November hearing on Sheetz. Chair introduced Paul Coutts, the town attorney, to explain options for the council, saying the draft was intended to "do things better" in managing hearing and comment procedures.
Paul described two primary options: limit public-hearing comments to people who signed up in advance or allow additional speakers to take a brief turn at the end if they heard new information during the hearing. "Is it just gonna be limited to the people that signed up, or after you get through all the people that signed up, you're gonna ask if anybody's got any comments that addresses a new issue that hasn't already been released," Paul asked, noting the council could curb repetition by inviting only speakers who raise new points. Chair and staff agreed that pre-registered speakers should have priority but that a short follow-up period could allow people to respond to new testimony before the council finalizes a draft policy.
Council members asked for a chance to propose additional wording; staff said they would circulate a revision of the draft and solicit public input before presenting a final version to the full council.
