(A) (A) Written communication. Interested parties or their authorized representative may address the Council by written communications regarding any matter involving the business or affairs of the city or otherwise within the scope of authority of the City Council.
(B) Oral communication. Any person desiring to address the Council at a public meeting may do so in accordance with applicable procedures and restrictions of this chapter. A person making a presentation to the Council will comply with any direction of the Presiding Officer for the order of speakers, and commencement or interruption of the person's presentation to the Council. A person may address the Council at the beginning of a Council meeting on any matter concerning the city's business that is not included on the agenda for the meeting. In accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act ("Act"), deliberation by the Council of such unscheduled matters may not occur except for the limited purposes provided by the Act. A person may address the Council regarding a matter included on the agenda for the meeting either at the beginning of the meeting when citizen comments are taken, or at the time the particular matter is taken up by the Council.
(C) Manner of addressing Council; time limit. Each person addressing the Council shall give his or her name and address in an audible tone of voice, and unless further time is granted by the Council, shall limit his or her address to four minutes. Applicants for permits or approvals or their representatives may be given a longer time to present an application. Special procedures for dividing a fixed amount of time for each side on an issue or question, to be allocated among those on each side by the proponents of the side, may be established when an unusually large number of speakers have indicated a desire to address the Council on a matter. Unless the city provides equipment that simultaneously translates a presentation and allows the Council to hear such translation simultaneously, persons making a presentation to the Council through a translator shall be permitted twice the amount of time to make a presentation as is provided to those not presenting through a translator. All remarks shall be addressed to the Council as a body and not to any Council Member thereof. No person, other than the Council Members and the person then addressing the Council shall be permitted to enter into any discussion without the permission of the Presiding Officer. No question may be asked of a Council Member except through the Presiding Officer.
(Ord. 080624-A, passed 6-24-2008; Ord. 090721, passed 7-21-2009; Ord. 100706, passed 7-6-2010; Ord. 191029-B, passed 10-29-2019)