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Contributed commentary by Nathan Burkholder, Montgomery County Commissioner, District 7:
The County Commission will be voting this Monday, July 10, on resolution 23-7-4 to amend the internal rules with regard to public comment topics. This resolution, if passed, will limit public comment to only three speakers for three minutes each, and they may only comment on the current agenda of the commission or committee, not on any other issue that might be concerning the speaker at that time. Currently there is no limit on the number of speakers, nor on the topic that they would like to bring before the County Commission to let their concerns be heard and put on public record, but if this resolution passes, that will no longer be the case.
This resolution has been proposed because of a recent change to state law known as Chapter 300 and Chapter 231. The new state law requires a time of public comment before ALL public meetings including informal, formal voting and all committee meetings.
Before this change, there was no requirement in state law for public comment. Our commission rules currently allow for anyone to address the commission before the informal meeting only. They must sign up 72 hours in advance, provide an outline of what they wish to speak about, and can be for no more than three minutes.
The purpose of the state law was to ensure there was a time for public input at all meetings. While the proposed county resolution allows for this, it restricts the topics of discussion to only items the commission is currently addressing on the agenda. Even though this is allowed by the new state law, it goes against the spirit of the law, and it goes against the long-standing procedures of Montgomery County. We should be encouraging more public input, not less.
I constantly hear from voters that feel like their voices and concerns are not heard nor addressed. By not allowing the public to voice their concerns to their county legislative body, we are reinforcing this mindset that “my voice doesn’t matter.” This proposed resolution unfairly and unnecessarily limits the citizens’ ability to make their concerns heard to their county legislative body, which makes many of the decisions that have the most immediate and profound impact on their lives. For example, if you wanted to speak about taxes, traffic concerns, zoning issues or storm water problems, but they were not on the agenda, you would not be able to do so.
The County Mayor’s Office has the leading role in writing the agenda, and it is based on resolutions from the commissioners and the mayor, as well as county business that comes up during the month. By limiting public comment to agenda items only, we are ensuring that only items of concern to the government are heard. When do constituents get to make their voice heard to their elected body? You can always reach out by phone or email to each member individually, and I highly encourage you to do so, but there is something powerful about being able to stand up in public and make your voice heard to the full body if it is in keeping with decorum.
What is the solution? An amendment to this resolution was announced last week at the informal commission meeting that would allow for three public comments on any topic before the informal meeting. If your County Commission cannot listen to the residents of Montgomery County for a total of nine minutes once a month, then perhaps they have forgotten that they are there to represent you. How can we effectively represent our constituents if we do not listen to them?
If you feel strongly about the right to address your elected officials publicly on topics of importance to you, then the County Commission needs to hear from you. Please be respectful. We are good people with good intentions, but we are supposed to work for you and need to hear your input on this matter and matters of importance to you in the future.
The contact emails for the commission are below. Let your representatives know how you feel on this matter.
Nathan Burkholder, County Commissioner, District 7
MORE: Montgomery County Commission members and contact information.