The Decatur City Council tonight will discuss potential changes to its public comment policy. One council member has already come out against the new rules, and it’s expected that some people who speak frequently at council meetings will be there tonight to voice their feelings about the changes.
Here’s a quick review of the issue:
What is allowed now?
Citizens can speak for three minutes each at the beginning of city council meetings for a full limit of 30 minutes. The rules do not allow the city council or city staff to respond to comments made during this time. For years, the council also has allowed comments during discussion of individual agenda items during the meetings. This is unique to Decatur’s city council; while all governing bodies allow some form of public comment during their meetings, many do not also allow residents to comment when agenda items are being discussed.
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Doing so allows the council to focus on residents’ remarks about an issue directly before voting on it. City staff and council also can and do respond to residents’ questions during this period.
What would change?
The most notable change being proposed is not allowing residents to address the council during discussion of agenda items. They could instead submit remarks in writing. If the council wants to invite a person to speak during the item’s discussion based on his or her written remarks, a majority of them must agree to do so.
Residents will still be allowed to speak during the 30-minute period at the beginning of meetings. The rules allow a majority of the council to grant a person more time, but only on “rare” occasions such as if there have been disruptions or technical problems. The rules say the public comments must “pertain to city services and local public policy matters,” and must be made with “civility and decorum.” The mayor can interrupt if they are not.
Also new: The city would add a time display counter, including green, yellow and red lights, to signal how much time speakers have left.
The new rules also allow the council and city staff to respond after the initial public comment period, and they will have the final word: Rebuttals by citizens aren’t allowed, and there would be no other public comment opportunity in the meeting unless it included a study session or other special circumstance.
One thing that won’t change: The council will continue to allow public comment during study sessions, which are scheduled at the end of meetings to talk about issues that may be more substantive or controversial. There are no votes during study sessions.
Why are they doing this?
City Manager Scot Wrighton said the changes were designed to make meetings more efficient, encourage opinions from all sides, prevent audience members from intimidating others and discourage "a hostile or toxic environment" at meetings.
Changes were proposed months ago. Council members first talked about them on Sept. 23. "Every single one of us is always open to talking with the public and communicating with them," Councilwoman Lisa Gregory said at the time. "But there have been times where the public comment has nothing to do with the agenda we are considering and they have to do with elements that are completely out of our purview, and many times they become vindictive and hateful."
The amount and tone of public criticism grew more intense in the following months, ramping up after the council voted 6-1 on Sept. 30 not to allow marijuana dispensaries in Decatur after a lengthy public meeting during which a number of residents spoke in favor of cannabis sales. (Councilman David Horn was the lone “yes” vote.) Some critics subsequently alleged that the council was inappropriately influenced by former Macon County Sheriff Howard Buffett, who has donated tens of millions of dollars to area causes and built a $60 million drug treatment and social services campus in Decatur. Council members deny those claims and say that their opposition came instead from talking to law enforcement and medical professionals. Buffett's private foundation in December also donated funding for a police officer position devoted to catching people driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Some residents also expressed strong opposition to that move.
(The Herald & Review's parent company, Lee Enterprises, announced Wednesday that it would buy Berkshire Hathaway's news publications for $140 million. Howard Buffett's father, Warren Buffett, is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.)
A number of residents addressed the Decatur City Council during its Sept. 30 meeting about the possibility of allowing recreational marijuana sales in Decatur.
What will happen tonight?
The new policies are on the council’s agenda, meaning a majority of members will have to vote in favor of the changes for them to take effect. Horn has already said, in a letter to the Herald & Review and multiple Facebook posts, that he strongly opposes the changes. It remains to be seen how the rest of the council will feel. The Herald & Review will livestream the meeting on Facebook, so stay tuned.
Read the proposed policy for yourself here:
