Council allows for additional comment

SHORELINE — Citizens will now get more opportunities to use their vocal cords at City Council meetings.

The Council approved changing its rules of procedure Oct. 11, allowing the public opportunities to speak about agenda items before Council members discuss and vote on issues, instead of limiting public comment to the beginning and end of meetings.

Council member Paul Grace reflected on where the idea to change the procedure originated, reminding the members about three public forums sponsored in March and April, with the objective of gaining input from the public on ways to improve public participation.

“This is a positive change in our procedure,” Grace said. “I am looking forward to this.”

Council member Rich Gustafson said he would like to bring the topic back to the Council in six months, to evaluate the new process and determine if it is effective and promotes public participation. He was concerned the Council may only hear from the same group of people every week.

Council member Bob Ransom said one difference in the procedure is that there will no longer be public comment at the end of the council meeting, with the trade-off that citizens can address items throughout meetings.

Gustafson then expressed concern that if residents want to speak on an agenda item, they will have to stay for the duration of the meeting, rather than just speaking at the beginning of the meeting.

Council member Maggie Fimia agreed that some flexibility is needed, since it is often hard for people with children to come testify at meetings. She also suggested the mayor announce the rules at meetings.

Gustafson referred to his experience with the school board and said most often people want to stay and hear the staff report for the issue they came to speak about. He said he did not feel the need for an amendment, but said they may just need to make exceptions once in a while.

Mayor Ron Hansen then proposed an amendment that public comment be limited to no more than three times at any one meeting per person.

“My argument is that we have had people speak 5-6 times at a Council meeting,” Hansen said.

Ransom opposed Hansen’s amendment, saying that limiting the number of times a person can speak defeats the overall intent of the change.

“There are a couple of people who will speak every night,” Ransom said. “But part of the intent is to encourage public comment.”

Gustafson, however, said the issue needs to be evaluated, since one person may speak every time, while the idea is to get more speakers, not just the same group.

Fimia then said she favored quality, not quantity.

“If people have information, I want to hear about it,” Fimia said.

The motion to limit the number of times a person could speak was defeated, but the amendment to change the rules of procedure was unanimously adopted.

The changes include allowing the public to speak on each agenda item for three minutes or less which is limited to 20 minutes per agenda item, asking members of the public to sign up to speak on agenda items, asking the public to sign up to speak on items not on the agenda which is limited to 20 minutes, to eliminate public comment at the end of workshop meetings, and to allow the mayor to call for public comment if the Council intends to move an action item to the consent calendar.