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Charter Commission <br />January 9, 2025 <br />Page 5 <br />182 <br />183 Commission Consensus <br />184 It was the consensus of the Commission to forward the question to the City Attorney for further <br />185 review prior to the next Charter Commission meeting. <br />186 <br />187 D. Open Mic <br />188 i. Clarifying language for the open mic it states "residents" <br />189 The City Clerk provided an overview of the time allowances for open mic at a regular City <br />190 Council meeting, noting that four minutes is the current standard time allowance. <br />191 <br />192 Chair Dahl commented that she believes it is important for the voices of residents and others to <br />193 be heard. She suggested that there be a sign -in sheet for residents and another for non-residents, <br />194 noting that they could then alternate between the lists to ensure everyone can speak. She asked if <br />195 there could be a possibility of establishing a longer time for someone speaking in representation <br />196 of a group of people. She recommended a seven -minute time for those representing a group. <br />197 <br />198 Commissioner Digatono recognized that there have been a lot of public comments at Council <br />199 meetings in the past year and when there have been speakers representing larger groups, they <br />200 were still limited to four minutes. <br />201 <br />202 Commissioner Obert stated that if there is a large group, a few members could speak in four- <br />203 minute increments to communicate the message of the group. <br />204 <br />205 Commissioner Grattan stated that perhaps someone speaking for a group could list the residents <br />206 in that group that they are representing which could then provide additional time for that speaker. <br />207 <br />208 Commissioner Damiani referenced the requirements of the sign -in sheet to provide contact <br />209 information and asked how they would prove that non-residents are providing accurate <br />210 information. <br />211 <br />212 Commissioner Holmstrom stated that when attending Council meetings, he cross-checks the <br />213 names and addresses that are provided while the person speaks. <br />214 <br />215 Commissioner Reynolds stated that some cities require sign -in to occur prior to the meeting, <br />216 which allows staff to check that the information provided is correct. <br />217 <br />218 Commissioner Vanderpoel stated that under the current rules the City Council can vote to extend <br />219 a speaker's time and as a result he his ok with the current rules as written. He acknowledged the <br />220 difficulty in balancing people's right to be heard while also being reasonable to the elected <br />221 officials and did not have any issues with the current sign -in process and time limits. <br />222 <br />223 Commissioner Reynolds concurred with the comments of Commissioner Vanderpoel. <br />224 <br />225 Joint Meeting Topic <br />