title
City Commission Rules - Public Comment (B)
Resolution No. 180943
A Resolution of the City of Gainesville, Florida amending and restating the rules of the City Commission; providing a repealing clause and providing an immediate effective date.
recommendation
The City Commission adopt the resolution.
explanation
At the November 7th, City Commission meeting, the Commission considered changes to its current rules. The proposed changes are in the backup. The Commission approved the following:
The lettered sections refer to the staff's presentation. The numbered sections refer to Commissioner Hayes-Santos and Mayor Poe's additions:
a) Add Early Citizen Comment. Speakers may use 3 minutes to speak to one agenda item or 5 minutes to speak to more than one agenda item. Speakers waive the right to speak later in the meeting.
b) The general rule that there will be no applause, cheering or outbursts of approval is waived during proclamations/special recognitions
c) Members of the public may have three minutes for General Public Comment at each meeting. There will still be three General Public Comment opportunities at each meeting.
d) Incorporate proposed civility and decorum language
e) Public Comment is allowed on all agenda items except those designated as purely informational or procedural
f) Public Comment Speakers shall register before speaking. The clerk will call registered speakers to the podium to address the Commission.
g) Written public comment will now be accepted and incorporated into the record
h) Rule 14 (Roberts Rules of Order) shall be removed
1) Change the word "citizen" to "public" throughout the rules
2) Change "Chair pro tem" to "Mayor pro tem"
3) Add "Business Discussion Items" section to the evening agenda, before public hearings
4) Page 3, line 15: Add Special Meetings to the list of times when meetings may be cancelled
5) Page 5, line 10: Change makeup of Audit Finance committee to be "Mayor and Mayor pro tem"
6) Page 8, line 34: add "on agenda items" to the end of the sentence
7) Page 9, line 2: staff to return with language that will include referrals made during the meeting
8) Page 9, line 5: add "general public comment and early public comment"
9) Page 9, line 7: staff to return with policy language proposal on timing of speaker registration
10) Page 10, line 4: add "or public"
11) Page 11: add "Members of the Commission may not advocate for or against anyone running for office. Members of the Commission may not advertise for-profit businesses."
12) Rules around the substance of General Public Comment remain as is (no limits on the substance of the comments)
13) Early Public Comment will be situated on the agenda before General Public Comment in both the afternoon and evening sessions
14) Early speaker registration is not required for items that were scheduled at the last minute or generated by Commissioner comment
15) Speaking at Early Public Comment does not waive the opportunity to speak on items that were scheduled at the last minute or generated by Commissioner comment.
The resolution incorporates all of the changes listed above except #9, and a portion of #14 and #15. The clerk's staff will come back to the commission at a later date to propose the timing of speaker registration. For items 7, 14 and 15, staff added a new section referring to the Commission Comment portion of the meeting which will allow persons to speak on items raised during commission comment for vote. Because Commission Comment is the only portion of the meeting where a non-agenda item may be voted on, staff did not add a section for citizen comment on last minute items. For #11, staff moved this to Rule 14 as Rule 10 only refers to public comment and decorum.