Board narrows public‑comment slots to prioritize Greene County residents; amendment passes

The Greene County Board of Supervisors approved a change to its bylaws to prioritize Greene County residents, property owners and business owners for front‑of‑meeting public comment slots and to reserve up to two slots per meeting for out‑of‑county speakers.

Board members spent an extended period discussing competing goals: ensuring efficient conduct of business; preserving broad public access to comment; allowing groups to designate a single spokesperson; and clarifying sign‑up sheets and decorum rules for unruly speakers. One supervisor said the intent was not to be "restrictive" but to provide safeguards so the board can conduct business while still hearing constituents; another emphasized prioritizing residents in the available slots. The motion to adopt the new bylaw was moved and seconded and carried on a roll call vote where each member voted 'aye.' The chair said the board could reassess the rules in January if the change proves problematic.

During discussion members also proposed operational clarifications such as limiting cumulative time for ceded slots, allowing groups to designate a speaker, collecting clearer topic information on sign‑up sheets and adding chair authority to enforce rules of behavior. A supplemental motion to explicitly include employees who work in Greene County as part of the prioritized category was discussed but did not change the outcome recorded for the principal motion.