EDITORIAL: City Council should re-examine policy on public input at meetings

Published 3:33 pm Wednesday, July 27, 2022

As a broken water main kept city workers busy two weeks ago, some residents living in the affected area wanted city officials to know what they thought about it. They’d gone days without water and some of them were met with a hostile response when they reached out to City Hall for assistance. So they showed up to address Milledgeville City Council. But their request to speak at a recent council meeting was denied. They hadn’t requested to be placed on the meeting agenda, per city policy. The issue with that, however, is that had there not been an emergency, they would not have had a reason to request to speak at the meeting. The urgency of the matter couldn’t possibly have been planned or predicted. The busted water main was nothing short of unforeseen, a circumstance that couldn’t be avoided. City Council should re-examine its meeting policy and allow flexibility for residents to speak at meetings. This recent situation is a prime example of why the change is needed. 

Several years ago, the Baldwin County Commission amended its policies to permit residents to speak for a limited amount of time on non-agenda items. They can sign up to speak when they arrive at the meeting. Residents are still required to request their names be placed on the meeting agenda in advance if they wish to discuss an item on the meeting agenda. There are also limits on the amount of time residents can speak. That’s only fair. That’s also compromising. It allows citizens to have their say and gives tax-paying residents a chance to have public dialogue with the people elected to represent them.  

The residents wishing to speak earlier this month had gone days without water. They wanted answers — and deservedly so. 

Although it is understandable for boards to require residents to sign up to speak at public meetings, some situations do not allow enough time to get a name placed on the agenda to speak. That’s sometimes unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean the matter someone wishes to discuss is unimportant. 

Citizens should also be reminded that they can have a say by contacting their representation and through regularly attending meetings and keeping abreast of the issues. City officials must do their part to keep the government open to the people.

Government, notably truly effective government, requires more dialogue – input and feedback between the people and those charged to serve. 

Milledgeville City Council needs to strike a balance between addressing citizen concerns and working through its list of meeting agenda items. The city should adjust its meeting policy so that citizens have a say. Some issues simply can’t be planned for or predicted. They truly are unexpected. 

Protect the time needed for our city government to operate efficiently, but allow enough flexibility that immediate concerns can be addressed in a timely manner. 

A more reasonable flexible policy is needed.