Muncie residents oppose new rules limiting public comments at city council meetings

Many Muncie residents showed up to this week’s city council meeting to ask that new rules restricting public comments at meetings be changed back.  IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports.

In January, newly-voted-in council president Republican Jeff Green changed the rules on public comment at council meetings, to begin in February.  They include moving public comments from the end of meetings to the beginning, restricting each speaker to two minutes instead of the long-accepted three minutes, and allowing no comments during the first reading of an ordinance.

Muncie residents spoke for more than an hour – two minutes or less at a time – overwhelmingly asking for those rules to be changed back.

Mary Moore said public comments now require “advanced clairvoyance.”

“I can reasonably predict that some of us will leave here tonight with questions that we were not allowed to ask, about process or timing or maybe even community impact.  And we will be told to bring those questions back next month, clearly after the decisions of the council are most likely already made.”

The rules also require “civility and professional language.”

Beth Messner said the new rules will silence public voices.

“Some people express their concern and their passion more dramatically than others.  But the one thing that should never be questioned is people’s interest, their need to be engaged, their desire to be engaged, and their concern for the well-being of our community.”

Green walked back one rule change during those public comments.  After public safety concerns were brought up, he’s no longer requiring speakers to state their addresses.

After a nearly 3.5-hour meeting, the council did not discuss the community’s other change requests.

On Monday night, the council also voted down an ordinance that would have put extra checks on the proposed legislation council members submit for consideration.  That’s after a last-minute amendment would have required the city controller – a member of the Muncie mayor’s administration – to sign off on every single ordinance and resolution.  Muncie city clerk Belinda Munson also voiced concerns.

Stephanie Wiechmann is our Managing Editor and “All Things Considered” Host.  Contact her at slwiechmann@bsu.edu.