The much-debated changes to how and when public can interact with their aldermen take effect at tonight’s (June 19) Galesburg City Council meeting at Galesburg City Hall.
Here is a breakdown of the changes:
Starting at 6
Galesburg City Council meetings now start at 6 p.m. They had started at 5:30 p.m. since June 2019. Galesburg Mayor Peter Schwartzman suggested and Council members approved of the change to help ensure the people can arrive to meetings in time for earlier public comment.
Be prepared to speak sooner …
The time reserved for public comment has been moved to earlier in the meeting. Public comment now is scheduled immediately after roll call, the Pledge of Allegiance, proclamations and approval of minutes.
Previously: Galesburg City Council makes changes to public comment and meeting times
… and to speak less
Individuals wishing to address the City Council and mayor now will have 3 minutes to comment. Previously, individuals were allowed 5 minutes.
Council members Bradley Hix, Wayne Dennis, Evan Miller, Heather Acerra and Steve Cheesman approved of the change, while Dwight White and Sarah Davis opposed, although with Schwartzman.
Council approved the time limit of 3 minutes in 2014. Council then approved to amend the time from 3 minutes to 5 minutes in June 2022. This was done at the request of Mayor Schwartzman.
Closing comments more concise
Like the public, alderman also will see their speaking time reduced during closing comments at the end of the meeting. Council members will be limited to 3 minutes for their individual closing comments. Previously, there was no limit to the time an alderman to speak during close comments.
Keeping public meetings public
Schwartzman says he believes the most important part of public meetings is public comment.
“The Council has modified the meeting in several ways presumably to have a more efficient and effective meeting.” Schwartzman said. “The most important part of our public meetings is the ‘public comment’ portion. During this part of the meeting, the elected officials of this community get to collectively hear from their constituents and for the rest of the community (who are in person or watching live or an archived version) to hear what issues are important to their neighbors.”
Schwartzman says the shift to putting public comments early in the meeting (rather in the middle) is a common practice with other governing bodies.
“I am sure the public will adjust and engage,” he said. “I will keep public comment at this new slot but as I have said publicly at several meetings, if someone comes late and wants to make a public comment, I will stay after the meeting and record it and post it on the Internet. I believe it is crucial that the public has a chance to air their concerns.”
