Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment Form Change topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Allison Morse urges correction of April minutes, says speaker-request form change silences constituents
Summary
At the Cochise County Library District meeting, public commenter Allison Morse highlighted library usage numbers, alleged six names were omitted from the April 7 minutes related to a data-center item, and criticized a recent change to the board's speaker-request form that she said removes the ability to indicate support or opposition on agenda items.
Allison Morse told the Cochise County Library District board on July 28 that the district's 40th anniversary coincides with strong public use of branch libraries and raised concerns about how the board documents public input. "This year marks the 40th anniversary of Cochise County Library District," Morse said, adding that "from July 2025 through June 2026, the branch libraries in Bowie, Elfrida, Portal, Sunny Zona, and SunSites saw well over 15,000 visits from the public," there were "almost 5,000 new library card holders," and "over 435,000 physical items checked out countywide." She used those figures to underline the library's community role and the importance of public record-keeping.
Morse then turned to a procedural complaint about the board's speaker-request form and the April 7 meeting minutes. She said the speaker-request form "was recently changed to no longer permit constituents to express their support of or opposition to a specific agenda item," and that change "prevents the public from giving their input when they prefer not to speak, don't have time to write an email, or are discouraged when they do take the time to email but receive no response." Morse also alleged that "40 people submitted speaker request forms regarding agenda item number 9 at the April 7 data center meeting, but only 34 names were called and recorded into the minutes. The other 6 names were completely omitted," and she asked the board to correct the April 7 minutes to include the missing names.
"This is an effort to silence those voices," Morse said. The board chair repeatedly interrupted Morse, telling her she was out of order and warning she could be removed from the meeting; the chair said she had not been recognized and should have filed a request to speak in advance. The transcript shows no formal board response to Morse's request to change the minutes during the Library District portion of the meeting.
The speaker's request and the alleged omission in the April 7 minutes raise a record-keeping issue the board may need to address if members choose to pursue a formal correction or clarification of the minutes at a later meeting.
