Staff outlines council speaker protocol changes, including group time doubling and PDF submissions

Staff provided an update on a policy (Policy 1.0) the city council adopted in May to clarify speaker protocol at council meetings. The update would also apply to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The policy requires speakers to state their name and whether they are residents of Lewisville or elsewhere, allows a group spokesperson to receive double the usual time for groups of five or more, grants translators double time, and gives the chair limited discretion to flex time when needed.

Under the policy, public-comment speakers will have three minutes (five minutes for public-hearing applicants and presentations) with a 10-minute allotment for formal presentations and an extra five minutes for rebuttal. Staff also recommended audiovisual material be submitted as a PDF in advance—no external links, videos or live audio—so staff can prepare materials ahead of meetings.

Staff said the changes are intended to make meetings more efficient and to help commissioners advise applicants about time allocations. The commission received the update with no changes and adjourned later in the meeting.