01-09-25 - Charter Comm Minutes - Final

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Charter Commission January 9, 2025 Page 5 183 It was the consensus of the Commission to forward the question to the City Attorney for further 184 review prior to the next Charter Commission meeting. 185 186 D. Open Mic 187 i. Clarifying language for the open mic it states "residents" 188 The City Clerk provided an overview of the time allowances for open mic at a regular City 189 Council meeting, noting that four minutes is the current standard time allowance. 190 191 Chair Dahl commented that she believes it is important for the voices of residents and others to 192 be heard. She suggested that there be a sign -in sheet for residents and another for non-residents, 193 noting that they could then alternate between the lists to ensure everyone can speak. She asked if 194 there could be a possibility of establishing a longer time for someone speaking in representation 195 of a group of people. She recommended a seven -minute time for those representing a group. 196 197 Commissioner Digatono recognized that there have been a lot of public comments at Council 198 meetings in the past year and when there have been speakers representing larger groups, they 199 were still limited to four minutes. 200 201 Commissioner Obert stated that if there is a large group, a few members could speak in four- 202 minute increments to communicate the message of the group. 203 204 Commissioner Grattan stated that perhaps someone speaking for a group could list the residents 205 in that group that they are representing which could then provide additional time for that speaker. 206 207 Commissioner Damiani referenced the requirements of the sign -in sheet to provide contact 208 information and asked how they would prove that non-residents are providing accurate 209 information. 210 211 Commissioner Holmstrom stated that when attending Council meetings, he cross-checks the 212 names and addresses that are provided while the person speaks. 213 214 Commissioner Reynolds stated that some cities require sign -in to occur prior to the meeting, 215 which allows staff to check that the information provided is correct. 216 217 Commissioner Vanderpoel stated that under the current rules the City Council can vote to extend 218 a speaker's time and as a result he his ok with the current rules as written. He acknowledged the 219 difficulty in balancing people's right to be heard while also being reasonable to the elected 220 officials and did not have any issues with the current sign -in process and time limits. 221 222 Commissioner Reynolds concurred with the comments of Commissioner Vanderpoel. 223 224 Joint Meeting Topic 225 Commissioner Trehus stated that he would also like to discuss adding another item to the joint 226 meeting related to the stormwater utility fee, as residents with private water and septic still 227 receive an annual bill for $45. 228