20.08(A) Generally. In addition to public comments on each agenda item, general public comments on items not on the agenda shall be heard at the beginning of each regular
meeting, after announcements. Anyone wishing to address the Commission with regard to a matter appearing on the agenda or during general public comments must sign in with the City Clerk prior to the conclusion of the general public comments portion of the agenda or the discussion of the agenda item, as applicable. Each individual is requested to state his or her name and shall state the name of the entity represented (if applicable) and the item on the agenda to be addressed. Each person addressing the Commission shall approach the lectern and is requested to give his or her name and speak in an audible tone of voice for the record. Unless further time is granted by the Presiding Officer, each person shall speak only one time, per item, for up to three minutes, which time limit may be increased or decreased by the Presiding Officer. No person shall be allowed to donate his or her speaking time to another person. All remarks shall be addressed to the Commission as a body and not to any member thereof, the
, the
, the City Clerk or any other member of City staff. A person speaking on an item on the agenda shall limit their comments to matters relevant to the item. All people addressing the Commission are strongly encouraged to refrain from making political statements and shall not make personal attacks on any member of the Commission or any other individuals or entities. No person, other than the Commission and the person having the floor, shall be permitted to enter into any discussion, either directly or through a member of the Commission, without the permission of the Presiding Officer. No question shall be asked of a Commissioner except through the Presiding Officer.
20.08(B) Documents. If an individual wishes to present documents or evidence to the Commission, he or she is requested to provide ten copies to the City Clerk at least two weeks before the Commission meeting for inclusion in the Commission's agenda back-up. He or she shall not approach the dais to deliver documents directly to the Mayor or Commissioners nor leave any materials on the dais. Paper copies (no larger than 11 inches by 17 inches) of any boards, charts, or PowerPoint/computer presentations shall be provided to the City Clerk prior to their use at the hearing.
20.08(C) Representative disclosure. Any person who addresses the Commission on behalf of an individual, corporation or special interest group for compensation must disclose that representation at the beginning of their comments, as described above in § 20.08(A).
20.08(D) Decorum. No person shall engage in behavior that disrupts the proceedings of the Commission. Commission meetings are family-friendly and therefore profane, indecent or obscene language, content or conduct is not permitted. In addition, because the meetings are broadcast and rebroadcast through cable television and on the internet, any language that would not be permitted to be broadcast under FCC guidelines during day-time hours is not permitted during Commission meetings. Sufficient warnings of inappropriate conduct may be given by the Presiding Officer, at any time, and in the event that any individual shall continue to disrupt the proceeding, the Presiding Officer may then ask that the person be removed. Signs or placards may be brought to a Commission meeting, but may not block any other attendee's view of the proceedings or interfere with any video, audio, stenographic or other recordings of the proceedings.
20.08(E) Dissemination of Information/Use of Multimedia for Public Comment. A member of the public may submit multimedia content for use during his or her comments. For cyber security reasons, multimedia must be submitted via email attachment(s) to the City Clerk's Office at least five working days prior to the meeting. The
can only accept common file types such as PDF documents, image files, Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations and video files in MP4 format. No inappropriate content will be approved for display. Speakers with pre-approved content to display will be ordered first during public comment and subject to the allotted time restrictions.
(Am. Ord. 2023-03, passed 5-1-2023)