Journal ​

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• For the second time in a year, the Fort Worth City Council is revamping its public comment structure, which allows citizens to express concerns or support for matters before the body. The Texan, 15 September 2022

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• 08 February 2022, City Council Meeting   

  • Agenda Item 8. Discussion/ Action: to consider any future agenda items. The following are considered as futureagenda items

    • Public Hearing for the Water/Wastewater Treatment Plant

    • Public Comments

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• 09 November 2021, City Council Meeting, An unidentified elected official or city administrator proposed the following Resolution to decrease the amount of time for individual Public Comments.

  • ​​2. Discussion/Action: to approve a Resolution establishing rules for public participation in city council meetings.​

    • [Full Resolution in agenda packet, linked above.]

    • Agenda Item 2, Paragraph 3. Time limitations. "Speakers who wish to address the Council on matters that are not included on the meeting agenda are limited to one three-minute period no matter how many subjects they list. Speakers who wish to address the Council, on matters that are included on the meeting agenda, are limited to: a) one three-minute period, if speaking on a single agenda item; or b) if speaking on more than one item, a separate two-minute period for each agenda item they list on their speaker request form. The time limits for a non-English speaker, who uses the services of a translator, shall be twice as long as the time limits that would otherwise be applicable. If an unusually large number of speakers file speaker request forms requesting to speak at a council meeting, the presiding officer may reduce the applicable time limits as necessary to complete the meeting within a reasonable time period."

    • [Two (2) public comments during Item 2, at 6:10 in video, linked above.]

      • Amy Fennel, [comments in text .pdf]

      • KJ Hannah, [comments in text .pdf] 

    • A motion was made by Councilman Young to postpone the item to a future meeting with the following revisions made to section 3. Time limitations: one- five minute period; and the City Council to vote on one-three minute period for unusually large number of speaker request. Councilman Contreras seconded the motion. The vote to approve the motion was unanimous.

  • Request to Appear Before City Council Form for 09 November 2021> 2. Public comment is limited to three (3) minutes per speaker.

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• Request to Appear Before City Council Form / Public Comments Form posted ONLINE was changed to three (3) minutes. 

 

Since mid 2018 the Public Comments Form indicated a five (5) minutes speaking time. 

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• 12 October 2021 City Council Meeting          

  • Request to Appear Before City Council Form for 12 October 2021> 2. Public comment is limited to five (5) minutes per speaker.

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• 28 September 2021 City Council Meeting (agenda, minutes and video)

  • [Personal Comment: During the 28 September council meeting, our elected officials decided to decrease our voice by the disrespectful act of waiting silently through a seven minute delay in the start of the council meeting, knowing full well the topic and number of speakers, but still waiting until the first speaker was at the podium, to announce the minimization of the voice of Willow Park citizens by decreasing Public Comment time from five (5) minutes to three (3) minutes.]

  • Request to Appear Before City Council Form for 28 September 2021 > 2. Public comment is limited to five (5) minutes per speaker.

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• 27 July 2021 City County Meeting Minutes / Agenda   

  • Item 9, Discussion/Action: To discuss and act upon amending certain Public Comment Procedures a. Email and written public comments to Council > Councilmember VanSant moved that the City of Willow Park no longer read into the record email or written comments received prior to 5:00 PM of the date of any City Council meeting and that such communications be made available as an attachment to the minutes of said meeting. Councilmember Crummel seconded the motion. Aye votes: Councilmembers Contreras, VanSant, Young and Crummel. Nay votes: None Motion passed with a vote of 4 to 0.

  • BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Council informally initiated a practice where any email public comments would be read aloud by staff as part of the discussion as part of the precautionary measures. However, since the COVID-19 procedures are no longer being applied, Staff was asked to provide recommendations to alter this practice. As such, staff recommends that any email or written comments will be acknowledged at either the "Public Comment" Agenda Item, or when / if the Comment is part of a regular agenda item. The acknowledgement will be that "Citizen X has provided a written comment and those comments will be codified into the minutes as an attachment.

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• 22 October 2019 City Council Meeting / Minutes / Agenda / Note: As of March 2022, this ordinance has not been recorded in the city code. [Article 1.03, Division 2 as of March 2022]

  • 3. Discussion/ Action: To consider and take action on adopting an ordinance regarding City Council Governance, rules of procedure for the Council and amendment of the procedures for the introduction, adoption and approval of ordinances and resolutions
    • BACKGROUND: The Governance Policy and the concurring ordinance is a general framework that provides information on the roles, responsibilities, and functions of the City Council; establishes regular meeting times and dates, conduct of the meeting; meeting processes, and the roles of the Mayor and City Council.

 

The ordinance [ORDINANCE NO. 802-19] amends certain sections of the Code of Ordinances in its entirety and replaces them with "Exhibit A". The articles amended in their entirety are:

• Article 1.03, Division 2: Time and place; rules of procedure, Recording of meetings, Presiding Officer, Quorum Placement of items on agenda; NOTE: [Article 1.03, Division 2 as of March 2022 reflects the version before this ordinance change. [Apparently the 2016 resolution was never recorded in the municipal record.]

• Article 1.04: Section1.04.002; Introduction of ordinances Section 1.04.007; Veto power of mayor

"Exhibit A" [outline]

Division 2. Governance Policy and Rules of Procedure 

Sec. 1.03.031 Introduction  

Sec. 1.03.035 Meetings  

Sec. 1.03.032 Mission 

Sec. 1.03.033 Information

Sec. 1.03.034 Roles

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Sec. 1.03.035 Meetings 

(a) Regular and Special Called Meetings 

(b) Quorum

(c) Work session

(d) Executive session

(e) Public notice

(f) Attendance

(g) Punctuality and recess

(h) Conflict of interes

(i) Recording of meetings

(j) City council members

(k) Administrative staff

(l) Citizens and visitors

(m) Agenda

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(n) Speakers

    (1) All members of the public shall have the right to speak on each item on the agenda at an open meeting provided that they follow the rules as provided herein. A person wishing to address the city council must first complete an appearance card and register it with the city secretary, before addressing the council. The following information must be provided on the card: name, residence address, daytime telephone number, and the subject matter to be addressed by providing the agenda 7 item number. The council welcomes public comments and understands that the speaker might not have been expecting to address the council; however, procedure must be followed before addressing the council. Appearance cards will be available at the chamber entrance and at the public podium. 

    (2) Speakers must address their comments to the presiding officer rather than to individual council members or staff. 

    (3) Speakers must keep their remarks specific to the item being considered by the city council. If the speaker is addressing the city council under the “public comments” section, the speaker may address any item not slated for discussion on the agenda. The city council may not prohibit public criticism of the city, provided that the public criticism is not prohibited by law. 

    (4) A person who registers to speak on a public hearing item or during the public comment section will be called on at that time. 

    (6) All speakers will have an opportunity to address the council. All speakers will be asked to keep comments to a reasonable amount of time as determined by the chair, usually less than five minutes, depending on the number of speakers waiting to address the city council. A majority vote of the city council can force the chair to end the speaker’s comments or allow additional time. 

    (7) For called public hearings, the applicant will be allowed a specific amount of time to make a presentation. 

    (8) In accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, the city council will not discuss or consider any item addressed during the public comment section. Council members shall limit their response to public comment to a statement of specific factual information given in response to the inquiry or comment, or a recitation of existing policy in response to the inquiry or comment. Any deliberation of or decision about the subject of the public inquiry or comment shall be limited to a proposal to place the subject on the agenda for a subsequent meeting. 

    (9) Whenever it is necessary for a speaker to use an interpreter to translate comments to the city council, the time required for the translation will not be counted against the designated time allotted for the speaker to address the city council.

 

(o) Motions

 

Sec. 1.03.036 Public spokesperson and media relations

Sec. 1.03.037 Planning 

Sec. 1.03.036 Public spokesperson and media relations 

Sec. 1.03.038 Council/staff relations 

 

ARTICLE 1.04 ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS 

1.04.002 Introduction of ordinances; reading 

1.04.007 Reconsideration power of mayor

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• Texas House Bill 2840, September 2019

The bill amends the Texas Open Meetings Act to provide that “a governmental body shall allow each member of the public who desires to address the body regarding an item on an agenda for an open meeting of the body to address the body regarding the item at the meeting before or during the body’s consideration of the item.” Before the passage of the bill, the public had only the right to observe, rather than speak at, an open meeting of a governmental body. Willow Park Civics > Sunshine Laws

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• 17 April 2018 City Council Meeting / Agenda

[First agenda which included the following statement about Public Comments]

• Public Comments (Limited to five minutes per person) Residents may address the Council regarding an item that is not listed on the agenda. Residents must complete a speaker form and turn it in to the Secretary five (5) minutes before the start of the meeting. The Rules of Procedure states that comments are to be limited to five (5) minutes. The Texas Open Meetings Act provides the following: 
  (a) If, at a meeting of a governmental body, a member of the public or of the governmental body inquiries about a subject for which notice has not been given as required by this subchapter, the notice provisions of this subchapter do not apply to: 
      (1) A statement of specific factual information given in response to the inquiry; or 
      (2) A recitation of existing policy in response to the inquiry.

• (b) Any deliberation of or decision about the subjectof the inquiry shall be limited to a proposal to place the subject on the agenda for a subsequent meeting.

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• 20 September 2016, City Council Meeting Minutes .pdf  / Agenda   
  6. Discussion/Action – To consider and act on Resolution 14-16, a Resolution providing authorization to amend Resolution 14-14 (Dec. 9, 2014) by repealing the same and replacing it with a Policy of the City establishing certain rules, procedures and an order of business for the conduct of meetings by the governing body.

  • Councilmember Martin made a motion to approve Resolution 14-16. Seconded by Councilmember Gholson

    • Aye votes: - Councilmembers Hogue, Martin, Gholson, Galle, Nay votes: Councilmember Runnebaum, Motion passed with a vote of 4-1 

  • Resolution 14-16​ .pdf   Note: Apparently the 2016 resolution was never recorded in the municipal record.

  • A. Purpose and Intent: The purpose of this resolution is to provide for the orderly conduct of city business by the City Council, with the objectives of providing for full, open, and comprehensive debate of issues brought before the body for action in a forum open to the public, and toencourage citizens' awareness of Council activities.

  • C. Participation by Citizens: Citizens attending any meeting of the City Council, including but not limited to any hearing, workshop, or special meeting, but not including an executive session as provided by State Law, shall be afforded an opportunity to rise and speak to any question before Council. Citizen’s comments shall be limited to five (5) minutes, and group presentations or presentations on a single agenda item shall be limited to ten (10) minutes. The Mayor, at his/her discretion, may reasonably extend these limits. All remarks shall be addressed to the Council as a body, and not to any member thereof. No person, other than members of the Council and the person having the floor, shall recognized to speak. No questions shall be asked of the Councilmembers, except through the presiding officer.

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• 13 September 2016 City Council Meeting Agenda / Minutes 

  • Item 13. Discussion/ Action – To consider and act on a Resolution authorizing certain amendatory language to Exhibit “A” attached to and incorporated in Resolution 14-14, as adopted by The City Council December 9, 2014.

  • ** Councilmember Martin made a motion to table until a later date.

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• Resolution 14-14 (Dec. 9, 2014) amended 26 September, 2016. See 20 September 2016 City Council Meeting minutes (above)

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• The U.S. Congress in 1976 passed the Government in the Sunshine Act whose specific purpose was to make the federal government, its entities, and the U.S. Congress open and transparent to the American public. At the time of the Sunshine Act, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had passed their own versions of sunshine laws intended to make state and local governments as transparent as possible. Willow Park Civics > Sunshine Laws

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• The Texas Public Information Act (Open Records) and The Texas Open Meetings Act, 1973. Willow Park Civics > Sunshine Laws

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