Public comment? Yeah, I have one

If Buddy the Elf were a blogger, he’d say:

“Did you see Tuesday’s County Commission agenda? It’s GINORMOUS!”

Read the entire agenda if that’s your thing. I’m going to focus today on an old friend.

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One of the greatest unforced errors of any County Commission is attempting to tweak the rules for public comment. That’s the part of the meeting when ordinary citizens can give local politicians a piece of their mind.

While I totally appreciate the frustration of commissioners who see public comment drag on and on, eliminating it will bring only more hardship.

How it works now:

The County Commission takes general public comment early in the agenda when citizens can speak about anything on their minds, whether it’s on the agenda or not. The chair also asks for public comment after each motion. And there’s another public comment portion at the end of the agenda.

I read the proposed ordinance. I had to read it twice because it’s a little confusing. In general, this is the plan:

— Eliminate the first public comment portion on the agenda.

— Allow citizens to comment on any agenda item before there’s a motion on the table.

— Citizens may comment after the motion before a vote.

— Open to the public on any matter at the end of the agenda.

While they don’t come right out and say it, this is an attempt to quash the Library Guy Gang and similar groups from hijacking board meetings with their inane non-agenda diatribes during public comment.

So let’s talk about it.

Right off, I’m not a fan of this plan. It’ll backfire and blow up on the board, creating unnecessary hardship. Why would the County Commission want to reduce or curtail the public’s voice? The new rules they’re proposing would seem to bring unnecessary confusion to meetings, leading to more wasted time.

Let’s look at Tuesday’s agenda. There are 44 separate items under “regular business.” Each needs its own motion. Under the proposed rule, the chair will ask for public comment on each item BEFORE the board discusses it, and AGAIN after a motion is made. That’s two specific bites at the apple on a business item that, in normal conditions, takes about 8 seconds to approve.

Now. That won’t actually happen Tuesday because we’re still under the current rules. 

I would instead propose something much simpler: Eliminate the 5-minute loophole.

Everyone gets 3 minutes to speak UNLESS you’re speaking on behalf of an organization, and the county has a letter on file and blah blah blah. That person gets 5 minutes to speak.

The object is clear. Supposedly, having an organization representative speak should reduce the number of individual speakers. That doesn’t happen in real life.

What actually happens is the Library Guy scenario, where anyone can attach themselves to the organization of the month, and get extra time and attention from the commissioners.

It’s really absurd. I can produce a letter for the county saying I’m president of the Just Wright Citrus Club of Fan Enthusiasts, and voila! Instant status.

So, if commissioners are truly looking to streamline the public comment process, they’d keep the system in place and give everyone 3 minutes so we’re all equal.

The broader point, though, is I just don’t want to see commissioners make it more challenging for the public to interact with them. And, frankly, I’m a little disappointed that some commissioners see this as a priority.

I say this all the time: The County Commission is our Legislature. Unlike the real Legislature, which meets 200 miles away, this one sits twice a month in Inverness. The County Commission is the closest government to the people. Commissioners are neighbors and friends. We all know one another.

When commissioners feel their time is more valuable than mine, that’s usually the start of trouble. Right now, it’s very convenient for me to speak my truth to the County Commission. I show up at 1 p.m., wait for public comment on the agenda, express my 3 minutes, and go on with my day.

Under the new rules, I’m either skipping the meeting altogether, or for some reason I’m hanging around the meeting all afternoon waiting for my time to speak. Seems rude and condescending.

Next thing you know, Sound Off and social media are filled with comments from people complaining about the county’s public comment rules. Like I said…an unforced error.

With all that the county is undergoing I’d think commissioners would want more public input, not less.

Unless they don’t. And that’s a whole other problem.

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