Public Comment Resolution

RESOLUTION #905

A RESOLUTION ALLOWING A PERIOD OF TIME FOR THE PUBLIC
TO COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS AT CITY OF WINCHESTER COUNCIL MEETINGS AND PLANNING COMMISSION MEETINGS

WHEREAS, the State of Tennessee’s 113 the General Assembly amended the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, and

WHEREAS, it is required by Public Chapter No 300 amending TCA, Title B, Chapter 44, Part 1, requiring a governing body to reserve a period for public comment at each public meeting where the public has the opportunity to comment on matters that are germane to the items on the agenda for the meeting with the exception of:  1) Meetings where the governing body is conducting a disciplinary hearing for a member of the governing body or a person whose profession or activities fall within the jurisdiction of the governing body; or 2) A meeting where there are no actionable items on the agenda; and,

WHEREAS, the City of Winchester currently invites citizens to speak on any subject during Public Comment, hereby referred to as Open Discussion; and,

WHEREAS, guidelines and limits need to be established,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the City of Winchester meetings and Commission meetings to which TCA 8-44-101 et.seq. Section applies, include a period of Open Discussion in which the public has the opportunity to comment on matters that are germane to the items on the agenda for the meeting or any other matter of concern, and persons having opposing viewpoints may be heard, and rules and procedures are established hereby:

Public Comment is designed to gain input from the public and not for immediate responses by the Mayor and Council.  The intent of this agenda item is to provide the public with a platform to be thoughtfully heard and not a forum for dialogue, discussion, or verbal exchange with the Council.  All remarks must be addressed to the Board as a whole, not individual Board members, City staff, or audience members.  While the Council cannot assure each speaker of a specific or individualized future response, the Council will consider the public comments and any supporting documents provided by the speaker.

Individuals will be required to complete and present to the City Recorder the Public Comment form.  The form will be available on the City website and at City Hall.  This request must be made at least 5 business days prior to the meeting.

Comments will be limited to 3 minutes per speaker and the Public Comment period will be limited to 15 minutes total.  Speakers must clearly state their name, home address, organization they represent, if any, and the subject of the presentation.

The conduct of the Public Comment is governed by TCA Section 39-17-306 (Disrupting meeting or procession), which reads “A person commits an offense if, with the intent to prevent or disrupt a lawful meeting, procession, or gathering, the person substantially obstructs or interferes with the meeting, procession, or gathering by physical action or verbal utterance.”

ADOPTED this day of November 14, 2023.