At Large City Councilor Justin Hurst speaks about a pilot program that would incorporate the public speak out section of the council’s meeting as part of the meeting’s regular agenda.
Photo credit: Focus Springfield
SPRINGFIELD — The public speak out sessions prior to Springfield’s City Council meetings could soon be part of the agenda for regular meetings if a pilot introduced at the council’s March 9 meeting moves forward.
This effort, spearheaded by Council President Tracye Whitfield, came about after some residents were concerned about councilors not being present during public comment, which takes place prior to City Council meetings.
At Large Councilor Justin Hurst presented the pilot program to the rest of the council in Whitfield’s place.
“I know there were a number of occasions where individuals have come before the City Council looking to speak to the entire body or the majority of the body and folks have not been present,” Hurst said.
By including public comment in the meeting agenda, Hurst said the council would be able to move right into its agenda rather than waiting to start. The meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. while the public speak out is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Associate City Solicitor Thomas Moore said that the goal of the pilot is to increase participation from the public and the councilors and to help meetings run more efficiently. By accepting the pilot program, Moore explained that Rule 3 of the City Council Rules and Orders would be put on a 90-day moratorium while the pilot would take its place for that time. At the end of the 90-day period, the rules would go back in place and the council would then be able to debate about moving forward with the pilot.
Moore explained that while councilors are able to engage in a back-and-forth with public speakers as the rules stand, if the pilot were adopted councilors would not be able to respond to comments, as is the case in many of the surrounding communities, per the Open Meeting Law. He added that the pilot is in the spirit of what the council does for public speak out.
“It will be something the council really should be aware of and cognizant of as we’re doing the program is to really embrace the role of just listening and taking information,” he said. “It really takes a lot of the current rule and moves it into the regular meeting agenda, and then it reinforces the idea that councilors themselves should be passive participants in the public speak out session.”
Ward 8 Councilor Zaida Govan said she supported trying the pilot because there are times councilors are not at the public speak out before the meeting.
“What I’ve noticed in the last few years that I’ve been on the council is that people come to public speak out and nobody’s listening to them because nobody’s here,” she said. “Having it during the meeting would be a good idea. The main reason I would like for it to pass is because this is what the constituents have asked for.”
Ward 1 Councilor Maria Perez suggested sending the pilot to the General Government Committee for further discussion before voting on it. At Large Councilor Kateri Walsh agreed and said she had concerns about the pilot as it was written.
“I am particularly concerned about any suggestions or indications that we would limit anybody’s right to speak and I think that’s in there,” she said.
She also said she was concerned that people would miss their opportunity to speak if the time of public speak changed by becoming part of the regular meeting. In response, Moore explained that the public speak out would take place prior to the voting items on the agenda and estimated that it would be around 6:40 p.m. for most meetings. Hurst also suggested that the regular council meeting could begin at 6 p.m. with the change.
Ultimately the council voted to send the pilot back to the council’s General Government committee for further review.
