(A) Procedure. Any person seeking to address the members of the Village Board, or any commission or committee, at any public meeting will be permitted to speak on any matter listed on the agenda or any other matter of public concern in accordance with these rules and applicable state statutes.
(B) Board meetings.
(1) The agenda for each meeting of the Village Board shall include a “petitions or communications” item, during which any member of the public may address the Village Board. Any person so addressing the Village Board shall state his or her name and the topic of discussion at the commencement of that person’s comments.
(2) No person shall speak or address the Village Board unless first recognized by the presiding officer.
(3) Public comment at a Village Board meeting shall be limited to no more than five minutes per speaker and to no more than one hour total per meeting, unless either of said time limits is extended by majority vote of the Village Board members present. The presiding officer may designate the Village Clerk, Chief of Police or other officer of the village to monitor the time utilized by each speaker and to notify the speaker when the allotted time has expired.
(4) At any meeting of the Village Board, the presiding officer, at his or her discretion, may request that persons desiring to address the Village Board at that meeting sign in on a “request to comment” form, providing for the speaker’s name and the topic to be discussed by the speaker.
(5) If the presiding officer recognizes that more than 20 persons wish to address the Village Board at any one meeting, the presiding officer may limit each speaker to comment of no more than three minutes. Whenever any group of persons wishes to address the Village Board on the same subject matter, the presiding officer may request that a spokesperson be chosen from the group. If such spokesperson speaks on behalf of multiple members of a group, the presiding officer may permit the spokesperson to address for a period longer than the otherwise specified time limits. If other matters are to be presented by other persons in the same group, the presiding officer may request that the group limit the number of such persons or may request that the additional comment be limited to information which has not already been presented by the group spokesperson or by other members of the group in order that the total comment period for that meeting not be exceeded.
(6) Any person invited by a member of the Village Board to address the Village Board at a meeting is subject to such time limitation, if any, as the majority of the members of the Village Board present may prescribe.
(C) Meetings of commissions, committees and boards.
(1) The time limits specified above shall not apply to persons addressing the Zoning Board of Appeals, Plan Commission or any other municipal body when such body is conducting a quasi-judicial hearing. Any such body may establish reasonable rules and time limits regarding the number and amount of time that persons advocating for or against pending matters must follow, so long as such rules conform to other requirements of state statute.
(2) Commissions, committees or other boards duly appointed or acting pursuant to authority of the Village Board may establish rules for public comment and for persons wishing to address that commission, committee or board. No rules adopted by any such commission, committee or board shall be adopted that are more restrictive than the rules established for comment to the Village Board. In the absence of the establishment of rules for public comment by any commission, committee or board, the rules governing public comment for the Village Board shall apply.
(D) Meeting disruptions. It shall be unlawful to disturb or interrupt any regular or special meeting of the Village Board or any meeting of any commission, committee or board of the village. Any person violating any provision hereof, in addition to any other penalties set forth in this chapter, may be prosecuted as provided by law and may be summarily removed from the Village Board chambers and Village Hall or such other place where the meeting is held.
(Ord. 2023-09, passed 9-6-2023) Penalty, see § 30.99