Goodrich- It has been said there is a time and place for everything. For the village council, the time and place for public comments is now clearly defined and strictly enforced.
Council President Ed York announced the change during the June 11 meeting. York said the new, stricter guidelines were prompted by an increasing amount of disorder during meetings.
‘People were just speaking when they felt like speaking, they weren’t really following (council guidelines) Roberts Rules of Order (RRO),? said York. ?…We were getting very bogged down because of the lack of people following procedure.?
York said he researched RRO and tried to find a way to best adopt them to the situation the council was facing. It was decided the meetings would switch from an informal setting to a more formal one.
‘Basically, I have closed the public input on agenda items,? said York. Previously the council allowed input from the public on each agenda item as it was presented, in addition to hearing comments during the ‘public comments? portion of the agenda.
York said the new way of operating is actually the old way of operating, but when a temporary council was put in place years ago, the more formal rules were set aside to foster communication between the public and the council.
‘The way that it is now is normal practice, most municipalities are this way,? said York.
Now, if the public wishes to address the council during a meeting they must do so during the time set aside for public inquiry. The person wishing to comment must walk to a microphone and state their name and the subject on which they which to speak. At that point the council approves or denies the request to comment.
Similarly, there is a new formality in the way councilmembers must address topics. Prior to making a comment about an item, the councilmember must be formally recognized by the chair (York). If a member speaks without recognition, said York, they are not allowed to make or second a motion on the item they are speaking about. They are, however, still allowed to vote on the issue.
All votes are now conducted as roll-call votes, with each councilmember asked individually prior to voting if they are ready to make a decision on the issue.
York said agenda items may still be opened to public discussion if the majority of the council wishes to do so.
Having conducted one meeting with the new rules, York said he thinks the meeting process has been streamlined now and business will be conducted in a more timely matter.
‘I had numerous people come up to me and tell me how effective they thought (the new process) was,? said York.
And while York acknowledges change takes time, he said he thinks this set of changes has already been beneficial.
‘I think it will take a few meetings,? said York, ‘but I was very pleased and I had people in the audience come up and say that was the best meeting they had been to in some time.”