(A) Preparation. The Town Manager shall prepare the agenda for the meeting.
(B) Requests to be placed on agenda. A request to have any item of business placed on the agenda must be received by the Town Manager in sufficient time so that the agenda may be printed and distributed in accordance with division (E) below and, to this end, the Manager may establish an appropriate deadline to receive the requests.
(C) Public comment period. There shall be at the monthly meeting of the Town Council a public comment period. Those wishing to speak during the public comment period shall abide by the following rules.
(1) A public comment period shall be placed on the agenda of each regular Town Council meeting. The agenda item shall occur at the beginning of the meeting immediately after the adoption of the agenda and any public hearings.
(2) Each person desiring to speak during the public comment period shall sign up to speak prior to the start of the meeting on the form provided by listing his or her name and topic on which he or she will speak.
(3) A total time of 30 minutes will be allotted for the public comment period at the end of which those who signed up to speak may be requested to hold their comment until the next regular public comment period during which they will be given priority for comment. Council, in its discretion, may extend the time allotted for public comment.
(4) Each speaker shall be allotted up to five minutes to speak which shall be strictly observed unless otherwise extended at the discretion of the Council.
(5) Speakers shall at all times maintain proper decorum and shall make their comments in a civil manner. Speakers shall remain at the podium to make comments and not approach Council or staff without the express invitation of the Mayor or presiding officer.
(6) At the request of Council, groups of persons supporting or opposing the same positions may be asked to designate a spokesperson to speak.
(7) Speakers shall not speak on any topic which is the subject of a public hearing on the same agenda.
(D) Contents. The agenda shall include, for each item of business placed on it, as much background information on the subject as is available and feasible to reproduce.
(E) Inspection and distribution. Copies of the agenda and attachments shall be available for public inspection as soon as they are completed. The Town Manager shall mail or deliver copies of the agenda and attachments to the Council members in sufficient time to ensure that they are received prior to the meeting. Additional copies of the agenda may be available for the press and interested members of the public.
(F) Additions. The Council may, by consensus or majority vote of the Council membership, add an item of business that is not on the agenda. Unless otherwise specified by the Council, additions to the agenda shall be taken up at the conclusion of all other regular business.