Time limit set for commissioner comments during meetings
By Steve Herring
Published in News on December 20, 2015 3:05 AM
Wayne County Commissioner Ray Mayo Tuesday morning took exception to new guidelines limiting board members' end-of-meeting comments to no more than two minutes each.
Mayo complained that he will have less time to talk than those who speak during the board's public comments section.
They have four minutes each.
The restrictions were put in place by new Chairman Joe Daughtery in hopes of continuing to streamline meetings that over the past three years have last anywhere between four and eight hours.
For the first time Tuesday each of the items on the agenda included a time limit.
The briefest was two minutes for a budget amendment to 15 minutes each for special recognitions and commissioners' comments.
The items allotted a total of one hour and 27 minutes. The meeting started at 9 a.m. and adjourned around 10:30 a.m.
"We agreed to have some time limits set for different items on the agenda," Mayo said. "The one that I take a little bit of an exception to is the board of commissioners committee reports and comments."
In some cases two minutes for the comments might be appropriate, he said.
"But this time, in my view, is a time when a commissioner can relay information to the public concerning the meeting," Mayo said. "Like for example, I am on the Health Board and DSS Board, but the Health Board in particular. If there is a particular issue that could effect the county, I would like to be able to comment on that, and I know that I can.
"But what about the other concerns that may effect our citizens that we have a right as an elected official to do (talk)."
Mayo said he liked to use the time as a "matter of transparency" to talk about those issues.
"I also believe that it is time when the public can get to know us as a commissioner -- what makes us tick," he said.
Mayo said he would recommend removing any time limit on commissioners' committee reports and comments.
Some weeks the reports might last two minutes and the next 10 minutes, he said.
But that ability to comment should not be inhibited whether a commissioner likes what is said or not, Mayo said.
Commissioners still have the right to make those comments, he said.
"I do understand your comments, but as chair I feel like we need to move our board meetings along," Daughtery said. "Generally comments made by commissioners need to be very brief and to the point.
"I think we have been going into way too much detail as far as our individual activities. We can't be spending 45 minutes to an hour making comments."
Daughtery said some people had told him it was almost as if commissioners were campaigning on the county's time.
If there are pressing issues, commissioner can adjust the agenda to add them, he said.
"That said, the intent is not to in any way inhibit you communicating those pressing things to the citizens," he said. "It is a matter of moving the meeting along."
However, Mayo said the comments also help to provide the public with some insight into a commissioner as a person.
Commissioner Ed Cromartie said a congressional practice might be the answer to Mayo's concerns.
"Oftentimes if folks have something they want to give over to their constituents, they will be in the chamber by themselves speaking to the camera," he said. "That information can be relayed on to their constituents.
"So I suggest if someone has a message they would like to get out to a specific public, they might consider them being able to come inhere and film themselves then put it on the (county) TV station."
Commissioners also made changes during the meeting to the public comments portion of their meetings.
Currently, public comments are at 10 a.m. and speakers have four minutes to address the board.
Beginning next month the time will change to 9:15 a.m. to allow the public to comment on agenda items prior to any board action.