Proposed changes to Frisco’s public speaking rules at council meetings will remain on hold for now.

At a March 17 meeting, Frisco City Council tabled a vote to modify the city’s rules and procedures for public input at council meetings. The item will return to staff for revisions, and a future discussion date has not yet been scheduled.

What happened

Ken Schmidt, Frisco director of special projects, said the city’s current rules were initially established in the late 1980s and have not been updated since.

“These [changes] are aligned with best practices in the region,” Schmidt said.

The city’s current policy allows anyone who wants to speak during citizen input to submit a paper speaker card at any point during the meeting. Individuals can speak for up to five minutes, or up to three minutes if 10 or more people want to speak on the same agenda item.

Proposed changes to the public comment policy include:

Reducing public speaker time from five to three minutes for both agenda and non-agenda itemsRequiring speakers to register electronically prior to the start of the meetingHaving separate public comment times for agenda and non-agenda itemsMoving citizen input on non-agenda items near the end of the meetingProhibiting disruptive or unruly behavior, including the use of disruptive propsProhibiting the display of signs, placards, posters and banners in the meeting roomProhibiting threatening speech not protected by the First AmendmentProhibiting physically approaching the council beyond the designated speaker location without permissionOfficials are also considering reducing the time allowed for speakers who require the assistance of a translator from 10 to six minutes.

Mayor Jeff Cheney said the proposed changes would not impact the content of what speakers are allowed to say.

Any speakers violating the rules of decorum will first receive a warning and could be escorted out by a police officer if the behavior continues, Schmidt said.

Some context

Frisco officials are considering making changes to the city’s public input rules after a Feb. 3 meeting where 23 people, including several non-Frisco residents, spoke during the public comment section about perceived demographic changes in Frisco.

Mayor Pro Tem Angelia Pelham said the discussion about modifying the city’s policy has been an ongoing discussion over the last several years.

“This conversation around how we govern public input has come up several times,” Pelham said. “We are not dealing with the recency effect here.”

What they’re saying

Several council members said reducing speaker time to three minutes would align Frisco with neighboring cities while still allowing speakers enough time to communicate their thoughts.

Cheney said that when council lowered the allotted speaker time from five to three minutes for individuals speaking about a proposed warehouse project at its previous meeting, speakers were still able to effectively communicate their thoughts about the topic.

“When we went to three minutes last meeting, I think 90% of the people finished in two minutes,” Cheney said.

Council members Jared Elad and Burt Thakur opposed reducing speaker time to three minutes, citing concerns about reducing free speech.

“What are we doing by cutting the public’s time by 40% to be able to get an idea out?” Thakur said. “Public input is not meant to be efficient. It’s meant to be representative.”

Council members did not reach a clear consensus on when speaker registration should close or exactly how an electronic system would be phased in.

City Secretary Kristi Morrow said the updated changes to the speaker registration process would help with record-keeping and staff efficiency. Currently, the city’s blue paper speaker cards and does not have a registration cutoff time.

What’s next?

Council members decided to table the item to allow more time to discuss the proposed changes and ordinance language. The item is expected to return at a future meeting, but no date has been announced yet.