HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-16-2017 Item 13, SmithCOUNCIL MEETING: 0-- /60- f RC4EIVED
Gardner, Erica ITEM NO.: 13 MAY 17 2017
SLO CITY CLERK
From: carolyn smith [mailto:cismith 107@vahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 10:01 AM
To: E-mail Council Website <emailcnt,ncil@slacity.or,>
Subject: Agenda Item 13: Public Comment for Items Not on the Agenda
Mayor Harmon and Council members,
Over the past 10 years that I have been attending City Council Meetings, I have heard
many residents bring their concerns to the council during the general public comment
period. For many, it was the first time they had ever spoken in public to council but
because their concerns were important to them, they felt the need to speak to their
elected officials. Some were very nervous and tried to explain their situation within the
three minutes allotted. When you're nervous, three minutes is barely enough time to
explain a problem and ask for help, particularly if you've never done any public
speaking. Cutting the time allotment to one, or even two minutes, will make it very
difficult for citizens to express themselves and will essentially stop them from even
bothering to speak up. While you may want to keep meetings on a schedule, limiting
public comment to one or two minutes is unreasonable and has the appearance that this
council doesn't want to hear from their constituents.
I also don't think moving general public comment to the end of council meetings is fair
to everyone. A busy agenda may go into the late hours. It will be a hardship to stay late
for those who have to get up very early to work the next day, or for those who are
elderly, resulting in many leaving before getting their chance to speak to their elected
officials.
Finally, I have noticed recently there have been more and more awards, recognitions,
presentations, etc. taking up more time at the beginning of the council meetings than in
previous years. Perhaps these types of public announcements could be done by the
Mayor in the form of a press conference on the steps of City Hall earlier in the day so
that the news media could pick them up and publicize them. I rarely see any of the
recognitions at the beginning of the meetings on TV news stations or in the
newspaper. Perhaps a press conference would provide better publicity of these
celebratory type presentations and/or announcements, which would have the added
benefit of freeing up an additional 30 minutes or more for general public comments.
Thank you for your serious consideration of this very important aspect of our democratic
process.
Carolyn Smith
SLO City Resident
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