Commissioners direct attorney to draft change so public commenters need not read home addresses aloud

A commissioner moved on July 28 that the board direct the county attorney to prepare an amendment to the rules of decorum to stop requiring members of the public to publicly state their home address when speaking at meetings.

The motion was made after multiple citizens — and board members summarizing constituent concerns — said publicly reading a home address made some speakers uncomfortable or unsafe. The proposer said the board can still confirm a speaker is a county resident without requiring the address be read into the public record.

Chair Chad Brown asked the county attorney to prepare a rules-of-decorum amendment for a future meeting; the attorney said he would prepare the item for board consideration. Commissioners agreed the proposed change preserves the information the board needs while protecting privacy and safety for commenters.