Speak Up!
During each regular meeting of the City Council time is set aside for Citizen Comments. Members of city boards and committees use this opportunity to announce upcoming events. Speakers have expressed appreciation for our employees, departments, successful city events, and the work of city committees and boards. Residents may speak on issues that are not included on the meeting agenda. If you are present, and wish to speak to an item that is on the agenda, you may do so when the item is being considered.
This procedure works well most of the time. Council did change the practice of asking for a speaker's address when we were advised that doing so may compromise the safety and privacy of the speaker. Now the speaker is asked to state only the city of residence. Should the issue raised by the speaker need action from a department of the city, the speaker is asked to provide a phone number and address to the clerk. That change is working.
Another long-standing practice is that council members do not respond to speakers during Citizen Comments. This has created anxiety for some, whose reason for speaking was to obtain a remedy. Why don't council members respond to citizens during Citizen Comments? One reason is that council meetings are agenda-driven. By Friday afternoon prior to the meeting, the agenda has been prepared for distribution to members of council. Thus council members have time, prior to the Monday evening meeting, to read the motions and resolutions and the background information. We have time to ask questions of the administration if necessary.
Another reason is that council does not deliberate on issues that arise during a meeting. For citizens to speak during comment time in the hope that council members will respond and discuss the issue is not an effective method for solving problems. Council members need to gather information, explore both sides of an issue and at times investigate many sides of a complex issue in order to make informed decisions or recommend solutions.
Citizens whose concerns need to be addressed may call the City Manager or a department of the city and make an appointment to meet with the appropriate person. You may call members of the council. You may send e-mails to city employees and council members.
We were hired or elected to serve the city, and our service will be most effective if we are given time to weigh and consider the information we gather regarding the issues you bring to our attention. |
