Proposed Change to Missoula City Council Rules Sparks Debate

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - The Missoula City Council has, for the time being, denied a change to make the three minute comment period a part of the City Council rules permanent.

I received a message from Ward 6 City Councilor Sandra Vasecka that her fellow councilor, Ward 3’s Daniel Carlino introduced an amendment at the Wednesday meeting to codify the three minute comment period. As it stands in current City Council rules the three minute public comment period is at the discretion of the council chair.

Should Public Comment at Council Meetings be Codified at Three Minutes?

Here is the amendment submitted by Councilor Vasecka.

‘Rule 2. Citizen Participation in Decision-making

"Public comment shall be taken before the consideration of any final action at a City Council meeting, committee meeting or subcommittee meeting. In addition, each meeting agenda shall include an opportunity for public comment on public matters that are not on the agenda and are within the jurisdiction of the meeting body conducting the meeting. Public comment on agenda items must be germane to the business under consideration. The Presiding Officer may reasonably limit audience participation at any time.  Public commenters shall be allowed three minutes of time to speak on the topic under consideration. The Presiding Officer has the discretion to allow for extra time in the event the public commenter appears to have a disability that impacts their ability to speak or access the microphone or where the commenter was interrupted by sources outside their control.

When there is an unusually large public turnout, two-thirds of the members present and voting may suspend the rules to reduce the time limit."

Currently, it is Up to The Presiding Officer to Allow Less Time for Public Comment

According to the City Council minutes; “Currently it is at the discretion of the presiding officer to allow less or more time for public comment. This amendment to Rule 2 establishes an equal, consistent amount of time allowed per public comment, while still allowing the presiding officer discretion to add more time in case of a disability or disruption during someone’s comment.”

The council voted 6 to 4 against the amendment, thus leaving the matter at the current time at the discretion of the Council Chair whether or not to reduce the time limit of public comment.

The 6-4 Vote Keeps The Time Limit at the Discretion of the Chair

Anyone who has done a great deal of public speaking will know just how many words it can take to fill three minutes of time, and when there is a large number of people, whether in person or online, the temptation is to shorten the time period for people to speak. That effort was voted down in favor of the three-minute rule to remain the standard for public comment.

For those that follow the City Council, do you favor this vote, or do you believe it should be up to the Council Chair to shorten the time limit for public comment?

Click here to see the entire conversation by the City Council.