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Richland Council votes to extend public-comment time to 3 minutes
Summary
After a lengthy debate on whether to add an overall time cap or change enforcement, the council voted 4–3 to extend individual public-comment time from two to three minutes and asked staff to prepare an ordinance implementing the change.
Richland City Council voted to extend individual public-comment time from two minutes to three minutes after an extended council debate on Aug. 5, 2026. The motion passed on a roll-call vote: Council members Jones, Meyer, Samuel and Witten voted yes; Mayor Richardson, Mayor Pro Tem Van Dyke and Council member Holton voted no.
Council member Meyer introduced the request and urged the council to signal it values citizen input: "So I would like to see, council direct staff to bring forth an ordinance changing the maximum public comment time per citizen to 3 minutes instead of 2," he said. Supporters argued an extra minute shows respect for residents and aligns Richland with nearby cities, while opponents warned a longer allotment often brings a total-time cap or prolonged meetings and suggested stricter enforcement of existing decorum rules instead.
After discussion about practices in neighboring cities and possible total limits, the council took a roll-call vote and adopted the change. The council directed staff to prepare the ordinance language implementing the new allotment and to return with details on any related procedural limits.
