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Board declines trustee request to use public-comment slot for new board business
Summary
Trustee Jason Wedge asked to make a public comment while identifying as a board member acting as a community member; the board declined, citing longstanding practice that trustees do not raise non-agendized business during the public-comment period.
Trustee Jason Wedge asked to make a public comment as a member of the public rather than as a trustee, seeking to raise a non-agendized concern during the meeting's public-comment period. President Holt and other trustees said that the district's practice is not to allow trustees to use the public-comment time to introduce items that have not been placed on an agenda.
Board members reiterated the procedural rationale. President Holt noted the board must follow notice requirements and said this meeting would not be the venue to take up non-agendized trustee items. Wedge said he "wanted to treat this more as, you know, I'm coming as a community member, not necessarily a board member," but the trustees held to the practice and denied the request. The chair asked trustees and staff to keep the district's public-comment process consistent with its bylaws and prior practice.
The exchange concluded with the board moving on to the scheduled association comments; trustees said they would not change the practice that night and encouraged any trustee who wished to raise a new item to place it on a future agenda so it can be noticed and prepared for discussion.
