By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council unanimously approved changes to its City Council Handbook in May that clarify how written public comments submitted ahead of council meetings are distributed.
The amendments, adopted May 13, establish that written public comments submitted to the City Council prior to a meeting will not be read aloud during City Council meetings. Instead, the comments will be forwarded to council members and become part of the public record.
The changes were included in a proposed amendment to Chapter 8 of the City Council Handbook, which outlines procedures for public comment during council meetings.
City staff stated in the May 13 staff report that the city has historically accepted written public comments and in many instances, written public comments “have been attached to agenda items but not read aloud during the meeting.”
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the City began accepting written public comments that were read into the record by the City Clerk. The City Council has expressed a desire to amend the public comment procedures related to written public comments,” the staff report states.
According to a statement issued by the city, two council members requested at the April 8 City Council meeting that a future agenda item be scheduled to consider establishing a policy for written public comments.
At the end of the April 8 City Council meeting, the proposal was brought forth as a future agenda item requested by council members, by Councilmember Jayna Karpinski-Costa. The proposed item received strong approval from a majority of the council.
The item was scheduled on the agenda for May 13 under the Consent Calendar, as item 15. Consent Calendar items are voted on as one block, unless a council member pulls an item for discussion and a separate vote.
Updated language listed in Chapter 8 of the Handbook indicates that any written public comments received during the council meeting will no longer be read aloud. The amendment states that: “The public may submit written public comments by 4:00 p.m. on the meeting day by completion of an online Speaker Card. Written comments will not be read during the City Council meeting but will be forwarded to all
Council Members and become part of the public record.”
The updated language also changes the standard time allotted to individual speakers. The handbook previously allowed speakers five minutes each; the amended language reduces the normal speaking time to three minutes.
The handbook further states unchanged polices, including that, 30 minutes will normally be allowed for public comments, with comments beyond the initial 30 minutes potentially being heard at the conclusion of the agenda. The mayor retains discretion to lengthen or shorten the allotted speaking times. Materials submitted during public comments or public hearings, including presentations, videos, letters and photographs, also become part of the public record and may be subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act.
The changes regarding written public comments and allotted time for public comments were approved unanimously by the City Council on May 13.
