February 25, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
Leaving well enough alone!
The county commission Monday night during its regular monthly meeting rejected a proposal to amend the rules for public comments at the formal monthly county commission meetings effective July 1, 2025.
The proposed changes were recommended by members of the government services committee made up of Chairman Sabrina Farler, Larry Green (Secretary), Greg Matthews, Daniel Cripps (Vice Chair), and Tom Chandler.
Currently and going forward during formal monthly county commission meetings, any member of the public wishing to address the chairman of the county commission is given three minutes to speak on any topic at the beginning of the meetings. The speaker must give his or her name, address or their district of residence.
Had the policy been changed, members of the public wishing to speak at the formal monthly meetings would have been required to first sign up 30 minutes prior to the meetings. Once the meetings began, signees would have then been allowed to address the chair for up to three minutes but only on agenda items after giving their name, address and or district of residence. Also, before public comments the chairman would have been required to read aloud the previously established and standing rules which include that citizens are not permitted to call names, question the integrity or motive of any individual or make personal or derogatory comments.
There will also be no change in the public comment policy regarding workshops or committee meetings. Currently and going forward, any member of the public wishing to address the chair during a workshop or committee meeting is given three minutes at the end of the meeting for public comments and may speak on any issue without having to sign up.
During the public comments period Monday night, Sammie Maxwell addressed the chair and commission. “I am always a proponent of civility and decorum at meetings. If efficiency and better business is your goal that is wonderful. That’s good. If your goal is to silence someone that is not good. A hallmark of democracy is our freedom of speech to let our representatives know our opinions and thoughts. What I want to suggest is for you to consider an additional meeting, something like a public forum to let people feel that they have a say so,” said Maxwell.
Commissioner Myron Rhody argued against changing the current public comments policy. “We shouldn’t restrict the public from speaking about other concerns other than what’s on the agenda,” said Rhody. “They may have something that’s popped up within the last day or two they need to talk about. I don’t go along with all these changes. I do think it needs to be done in an orderly manner, but I am going to be in favor of leaving it like it is. After all we do work for them (public). They elected us to be their representatives,” said Commissioner Rhody.
As part of the proposed changes, the public would have been prohibited from applauding or making any unnecessary noise during the public comments period. Commissioner Beth Pafford said there was no need to make the rules so restrictive.
“I don’t believe telling people they can’t clap and being restrictive (to speaking only) to the agenda. There are not public forums where people can just talk and even here (county commission meetings) they (public) can’t ask questions and at all (meetings) except for one incident (public) has been very respectful when they have come up here to talk. I have concerns about passing these restrictions at this time because that’s what they look like. An attempt to restrict the public’s voice rather than to bring order to the meeting,” said Pafford.
Commissioner Tom Chandler made a motion to adopt the proposed amendments to the policies and procedures including the public comment rules as recommended by the government services committee. Commissioner Larry Green offered a second to the motion. Before the vote, Commissioner Beth Pafford moved to amend Chandler’s motion by excluding the proposal on “public comments” and her amendment was approved 9-4. In addition to Pafford, commissioners voting for the amendment were Myron Rhody, Greg Matthews, Andy Pack, Mathias Anderson, Glynn Merriman, Brandon Donnell, Jeff Barnes, and Tony Culwell. Commissioners opposed to Pafford’s amendment were Tom Chandler, Tony Luna, Larry Green, and Daniel Cripps. Sabrina Farler was absent.
The commission then voted on the motion as amended to basically leave the current public comments policy as it is with no changes. The vote was 11-2 in favor meeting the two thirds majority requirement for passage in this case. Only Chandler and Luna voted against it.
Amendments to the policies and procedures which were approved by a two thirds majority of the commission as recommended by the government services committee included a provision to change the term “committee of the whole” to “workshops” referring to meetings of the full county commission in a workshop or informative session. Also approved was an amendment to the policy that would prohibit the chairman of any standing committee to make a motion or a second to a motion.