Introduction
Citizens can speak at County Council meetings if we follow the required procedure. Here are some notes.
Getting to Speak
You must register your intent to speak 24 hours before the meeting starts. The easiest way to do this is on the web, using the Request to Comment form. Speakers on issues which are on the regular agenda speak before the main meeting, whereas speakers on other issues speak afterward (when the press may have already gone home), so it is worth your while to consult the Agenda and Minutes page. If the agenda is in flux when you fill out the comment form (i.e., you plan to speak on a topic which you believe is being added to the agenda at the last minute), specify the topic as best you can. The County Clerk, John Mascio, does his best to detect this situation.
Preparation
Your presentation is subject to these structural requirements:
You may speak for no more than three minutes. This will be strictly enforced, via a loud beep after two minutes and a continuous tone after three minutes. Prepare for this by having brief remarks and by bracing yourself for that beep.
You must begin your remarks by stating your name and place of residence. That's ten seconds gone!
If you will be reading a prepared statement, you can make the stenographer's life easier by bringing an extra copy. Bringing a few more copies is a good idea in case a member of the press is interested in your statement.
As a sample, here is my April 18, 2006 statement to Council. I don't remember if I made it in under the limit on that one, but I would definitely not recommend you try to fit in anything longer than that.
Getting in the Door
Council meetings are held in the "Gold Room" on the fourth floor of the County Courthouse. To enter the building you will need to undergo a security screening. Leave time for this, and also leave pocket knives or anything more threatening elsewhere.
Outside the Gold Room is a sign indicating that the only food or drink allowed in the room is bottled water.
The Meeting
After the meeting is called to order and various formalities take place, the first order of business will be proclamations and certificates. This will take some time.
Next comes public comment on agenda items--hopefully that's you! The Council President, working from a list prepared by the County Clerk, will call speakers, generally indicating both the current speaker and the subsequent one; this allows you to begin approaching the speaker's podium while the previous comment is in progress. When it is your turn, state your name and place of residence and then say your piece, politely, without running past your time. Council members may ask questions, which is generally to your benefit, so think carefully before giving a solid answer.
The next phase is Council's regular business, broken down into various categories.
Finally there is a general public-comment session, followed by adjournment. A meeting generally takes around two hours, but on days when contentious issues are taken up a meeting may run four or more hours.
