It shall be the policy of the Village of Itasca, that any person shall be allowed to address public officials at any board, committee, or commission meeting subject to the Illinois Open Meetings Act. These comments may pertain to items on the agenda or can be more general. The following rules shall apply to all such public comment periods:
(A) Speakers.
(1) Any person wishing to speak during any portion of an open meeting shall sign in before the meeting's starting time, stating their name, resident status, and topic to be discussed. Residents will be called first to speak during public comment time. Failure to identify resident status or topic will not bar a person from speaking.
(2) No person shall be permitted to speak until being recognized by the presiding officer of the meeting. All comments shall be received from the podium and addressed to the presiding officer of the meeting.
(3) Speakers must identify themselves by name and provide whether they are a resident or non-resident of Itasca before their comments. If they choose, speakers may also give their residential address.
(4) Speakers will refrain from repeating testimony and comments that have previously been provided to the governing board. Whenever possible, groups of residents shall consolidate their comments and avoid repetition through the use of representative speakers. It is acceptable for speakers to state that they agree/disagree with previously provided comments and testimony to avoid repetition.
(5) Speakers may not use public comment to harass board or commission members or staff. Public comment is not for asking questions of officials or staff or engaging in a dialogue or debate. Profanity will not be tolerated.
(B) Time limits.
(1) The total time for public comment shall be limited to 30 minutes, unless extended by the majority of the board/committee.
(2) All individuals shall be limited to a maximum of three minutes each and may speak only once, unless extended by the majority of the board/committee. If more than ten people sign up for public comment, the 30-minute time period will be allotted evenly.
(3) No speaker may give their allotted minutes to another person.
(4) Time limits shall not apply to public hearings.
(C) Responses. Members of the governing body are not required to answer questions or to otherwise respond to public comments. Comments may be taken under advisement and may be referred to the appropriate staff member for response outside the meeting.
(D) Decorum.
(1) All speakers, and the audience, shall respect the presiding officer's directions in furtherance of maintaining proper order, respect, and decorum during the meeting.
(2) Members of the audience shall refrain from noisy outbursts or other distracting actions such as applauding, cheering, or booing during or at the conclusion of any remarks made by any speaker, staff member, or village official.
(3) Any person who violates these rules or who otherwise disrupts the order and decorum of the meeting may be removed.
('52 Code, Ch. 2, § 13) (Ord. 2028-22, passed 8-16-22; Am. Ord. 2098-24, passed 1-9-24)