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Board members speaking at Public Comment


Guest Dave R.

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Should County Board members be allowed to speak under 'public comment' at a Committee meeting where he is not a member of the Committee?

What are the rules on a member of the Board speaking at a Committe meeting of which he is not a member?

Thanks

Dave

According to RONR, only members of the committee have any rights in a committee meeting. Your rules may vary, especially if this is a government organization.

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Tim

Yes, this is government and the rules of the Board do not cover the 'public comment' issue.

Are County Board members allowed to speak under 'public comment' at a Committee meeting where he/she is not a member of the Committee? 'Public comment' is on an itemized agenda.

Dave

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Tim

Yes, this is government and the rules of the Board do not cover the 'public comment' issue.

Are County Board members allowed to speak under 'public comment' at a Committee meeting where he/she is not a member of the Committee? 'Public comment' is on an itemized agenda.

Dave

If you're looking for a specific rule that applies only to county board members, you won't find one in RONR. As for nonmembers of a committee, see RONR (10th ed.), p. 483, l. 35-36.

However, the term "Public Comment" leads one to believe that the purpose of this heading is to allow nonmembers to address the committee.

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If by 'public comment' you mean a portion of the committee meeting where persons who are not members of the committee are permitted to speak to one or more issues related to the committee's work, why wouldn't that include a county board member who is not a member of the committee? Does the committee impose any other restrictions on who may be participate in the public comment portion of the meeting?

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If you're looking for a specific rule that applies only to county board members, you won't find one in RONR. As for nonmembers of a committee, see RONR (10th ed.), p. 483, l. 35-36.

However, the term "Public Comment" leads one to believe that the purpose of this heading is to allow nonmembers to address the committee.

Tim

The "Public Comment" item on the Agenda supposedly is for public input. Our committee chairs have in the past bent the rules to allow Non-Committee, Board members to speak. We now have a Chair that is attempting to limit debate on certain issues, a way of Tyrant type control. I find it hard to believe that Non-Committee, Board members should be the only people in the whole world that can not deliberate on an issue which will ultimately be brought to them at the whole Board meeting.

Dave

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If by 'public comment' you mean a portion of the committee meeting where persons who are not members of the committee are permitted to speak to one or more issues related to the committee's work, why wouldn't that include a county board member who is not a member of the committee? Does the committee impose any other restrictions on who may be participate in the public comment portion of the meeting?

Bruce, There are no other restrictions, other than a 3 min. time limit. This ruling on, Non-Committee, Board members, ability to speak comes from our Legal Counsel as an opinion. I have found no basis for this opinion.

Dave

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