Plano City Council is changing the rules for speaking at city meetings.
The changes will decrease the frequency of comments of public interest and eliminate public comments over Zoom altogether.
“We’re trying to be as productive as we can for the citizens,” Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Rick Horne said.
Council members decided on the changes at a March 9 meeting.
What’s changing
In the past, city officials have set aside time at each meeting for people to talk about issues that are not on the main agenda, usually at the beginning of the meeting after the Pledge of Allegiance.
Council members agreed to limit comments on nonagenda items to one meeting a month, and those comments will take place at the end of the meeting.
Council meets twice a month. Council member Steve Lavine said city staff should have the authority to choose which meeting includes an opportunity for comments of public interest.
Speakers who want to talk about items on the official agenda can still do so at each meeting as each item is addressed.
Boards and committees will also follow the new rules for public comment, Mayor John Muns said.
Another detail
Council decided to remove the option for people to address council members over Zoom.
Mayor Pro Tem Maria Tu said that people who use Zoom because they have difficulty getting to in-person meetings can reach out to council members by calling, texting or emailing. Residents can call council at 972-941-7107, and council members’ official email addresses are listed on the city’s website.
The context
City of Plano meetings are subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act, a state law that requires government bodies to publish an agenda for each meeting and set aside time for members of the public to speak about issues on that agenda.
The law does not require cities to set aside time for the public to talk about nonagenda items.
Muns said council has discussed changing the rules for comments of public interest multiple times in the past few years because of speakers who talk about items unrelated to city business.
“It goes way beyond what the city of Plano has any effect on,” he said.
Muns hopes the new policy will allow residents to engage with local government while avoiding some of the “performance” he has seen at previous meetings.
“Sometimes I cringe when there’s Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts sitting right there after we did the pledge and somebody comes up and is totally inappropriate,” Tu said.
Going forward
The changes to meeting procedure will take effect starting in April, Media Relations Director Amanda McNew confirmed.
The first Plano City Council meeting where speakers will not be able to participate over Zoom and comments of public interest are not guaranteed to take place will be April 14.