Brook Park debate: councilman proposes cutting public-comment time from 5 to 3 minutes

Councilman Andre Gonzales proposed a change to Rule 19 that would shorten the public-comment allotment from five minutes to three and replace gendered language in the rules. Gonzales said the change was intended to allow more residents to speak during meetings and to improve efficiency.

"Change does not silence the public, but opens the doors for more public to speak," Gonzales said, presenting survey counts of neighboring councils and school boards to show three minutes is a common practice. He told colleagues the amendment would increase the number of residents who could use the microphone in a one-hour period and noted the council president could still extend a speaker's time when necessary.

Supporters emphasized meeting efficiency and the chance to hear more voices. Councilman McHenry said shortening time had previously condensed remarks and improved preparation. Councilman DeFore and others said reducing the time could let more speakers participate when large public issues arise; DeFore urged a procedural path to allow unanimous consent to extend time to avoid lengthy roll-call votes for small extensions.

Opponents cautioned that caucus meetings function as a workshop and that shorter limits risk cutting off substantive testimony. One member said caucus is the work session and worried about restricting audience participation there. Another asked for more clarity around whether hours or other practices would change and suggested amending only the gendered language while leaving time limits the same.

After discussion, Councilman Gonzales moved to place the proposed rule change on next week's council meeting under verbal approval. The motion passed by roll call; the ordinance amendment itself will return to the formal council agenda for a vote.

If approved at the council meeting, the change would alter Rule 19 language replacing "Each citizen must identify himself and his residential address" with gender-neutral wording and would change the allotted public-comment time from five minutes to three, subject to the presiding officer's authority to extend time.

Next steps: the proposal will appear on the Jan. 20 council meeting agenda under verbal approval for a formal vote.