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Arroyo Grande council limits non-agenda public comment to one minute

August 16, 2024

Arroyo Grande City Council

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

The Arroyo Grande City Council has decided to limit public comment on items that do not appear on meeting agendas to one minute. [New Times]

During its meeting on Tuesday, the Arroyo Grande council discussed the possibility of moving public comment on non-agenda items to the end of its meetings. Eventually, the council chose to keep the public comment slot at the beginning of meetings and to reduce the time allotted to each speaker from three minutes to one minute.

Councilman Jim Guthrie suggested limiting non-agenda pubic comment to one minute per person in order to make meetings progress more efficiently.

Arroyo Grande City Manager Matthew Downing said other cities, including Atascadero and Grover Beach, have adopted policies that set aside time for public comment on items not on the agenda after the council completes its consent agenda. Grover Beach moved its non-agenda public comment to the end of council meetings. Likewise, the Lucia Mar School District has, for a couple of years, been taking public comment at the end of its board of trustees meetings, Downing said. 

Grover Beach City Manager Matthew Bronson said the Grover Beach council adopted its public comment shift during its July 22 meeting.

Arroyo Grande residents who attended Tuesday’s meeting were unhappy with the limit placed on non-agenda public comment. Multiple members of the public spoke out against the change, but the council still voted unanimously to reduce the time limit from three minutes to one minute per person.

 


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Caren Ray and the rest of the like minded Council your constituents have spoken…

Are you listening? Perhaps it’s time for your constituents to help you step down!!!


8

Arroyo Grande Mayor Caren Ray Russo is intent on destroying democracy with a thousand cuts. This mayor actually had her campaign volunteers stealing political signs of an opponent, has reduced citizen input in local government, and now has cut public comment to 60 seconds.


Save democracy, dump Caren Ray Russom.


16

They wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for voters electing them. They work for these voters and are paid a salary because of these voters taxes but yet their not willing to listen to the voters unless it’s under their agenda. Then these same people will vote to give theirselves a raise and pat theirselves on the back for ignoring what the voters wanted to say. The voters should speak for as long as they please and the elected officials who supposedly represent the voters and make a salary because of the voters should have to sit and listen until everybody speaks that has a desire to.


16

The one minute public comment allowed at the beginning of the meeting is meant to delay as little as possible getting to the business portion of the meeting.


However since one minute can be very constraing to get ones point across ANOTHER public comment period at the end of the meeting allowing 3 minutes MUST BE ALLOWED.


-5

Then why not have two public comment periods, one before the council votes for items on the nights agenda, since we know the mayor and council like to hear the residents and haven’t already made up their minds and know how they are going to vote before the meeting begins, cough couch, and a second one near the end for non agenda items? Both should be a maximum 3 minutes per speaker.


6

If you want your opinion or idea to be heard, get it on the official agenda. The agenda is why the public meeting is taking place.


Needlessly speaking about your concern that “..the sand on the beach is too hot in the Summer, and can the board do anything about it?” is not what the board meeting is for. (yes, people in Seal Beach actually brought this to their board)


The minute, still gives you plenty of time, should you first consolidate all your points into a single cohesive thought. Some folks love to ramble, and won’t ever say whatever they were trying to say, no matter how much time is given them.


-13

Public meetings, Public comment, Public input, Public participation, Public sentiment, Public’s right to know, Public records, Public trust, Public notices, Public benefit, Public good, Public property. They would do away with all of it if they could.


22

They are working on it, just waiting for another entity to do it then AG can just say we are following someone else. If they could do away with public council meetings all together Mayor Russom would, then she could just do all the city’s business in backroom fashion.


9

One minute is plenty of time to say whatever must be said. They’re only trying to get the whack jobs under control. Public comment has become a joke at many of these meetings.


-24

“whack jobs” = anyone who disagrees with the mayor and council. How dare these anointed leaders have to listen to the peons for a whole 3 minutes.


26

Agreed, say what you want to say, if you have a real idea it can and should be submitted in writing.


-6

What if you have time sensitive information that may involve city staff, if you submit it in writing you’ll get the old I don’t recall ever reading that or I didn’t get that memo. Public comment is a way for the citizen to be herd in front of a board or council and is paramount in public forums. If you don’t like listening to public comments than don’t run for office or work in public administration.


4

The “whack jobs” appear to be the four Karens and a Clown.


2

Participation is a cornerstone of democracy. Three minutes is often not long enough to get a point across let alone one minute. The simple message is we don’t want to hear from you and we know what’s best for you.


26

Just send an email, no one has time to listen to a bunch of speakers complain about the same thing every week – it’s a waste of everyone’s time and puts normal people off from participating in meetings.


-17

E-mails are even easier to ignore. Normal people??


17

I agree 100%. They were elected by the people, and owe them the courtesy to hear their concerns. 1 minute is definitely not enough time to get your point out. Even 3 minutes is a rush. Don’t take the position if you don’t want to hear from the audience. SHAME ON THEM!


11

A phenomenally BAD idea. They have invited the wrath of their citizens, starting with the activist class. It sends the wrong message. The 3 minute rule is standard and reasonable. Bad advice whomever internally proposed it initially.


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