Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Springdale council limits public comment to three minutes, keeps comment period at start of meetings
Summary
Councilmembers agreed to keep a public comment period at the start of meetings, designate it a comment-only time (no on-the-spot Q&A), and limit each speaker to three minutes; public hearing items should be reserved for their specific hearing.
Springdale's Town Council narrowed its public participation protocol at a special work meeting on April 3, deciding the public comment period will remain at the beginning of regular meetings and will be a comment-only period. Mayor Barbara Bruno said some audience questions were "gotcha" questions meant to catch officials off guard and voiced support for a comment-only format to avoid off-agenda debate. The council agreed that questions could be addressed after the meeting by staff.
The council also discussed whether to limit commenters to town residents or property owners; while several members said they preferred knowing whether a commenter lived in town, the majority opposed excluding non-residents who attended in person. The final guidance the council summarized was: begin meetings with a comment period, limit speakers to three minutes, accept comments on most topics but ask commenters to hold matters that are public-hearing agenda items for the hearing itself.
