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Council moves public comment to start of meetings and drops paper card requirement
Summary
The Minot City Council voted to move personal appearances to the start of council meetings and replace the written 'card' with a sign-in sheet, after the city attorney read a state law requiring speakers to provide name and address in writing.
Alderman Fuller introduced a motion to have personal appearances placed immediately after the pledge and roll call and to eliminate the old paper sign-in card, asking staff to prepare an ordinance for two readings. "I would like to direct staff to bring an ordinance change to move personal appearances from last on the agenda to right after, the flag and roll call for all meetings going forward," Fuller said.
City Attorney Steph read Century Code section 44-04-20.1(2) aloud, explaining: "An individual providing comment at a meeting shall provide to the governing body in writing the individual's name and address." He told council that addresses are an exempt record the entity can redact before public disclosure. To accommodate the statute while implementing Fuller’s accessibility goals, the council amended the motion to require a sign-in sheet at the podium and approved that amendment in a roll-call vote; the council then passed the motion as amended.
Council members who supported the change said moving public comment earlier improves accessibility for residents who cannot wait through long agendas. Members who raised caution noted the ordinance and the city’s public-comment resolution may need alignment; the city attorney recommended leaving some personal appearances at the end on occasion so late arrivals would not be excluded. The revised process will be implemented for the coming meetings and an ordinance will be drafted for formal consideration in October.
