SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- City Councilor Greg Neitzert has shared with KELO.com News what will go into the new ordinance on public input.
He says the formal ordinance will be posted later today at the City website.
According to Neitzert, here's what the "compromise" on handling public input at Council meetings will do as well as some background on the process for passage. The below commentary is from Neitert's email to KELO.com News:
1. The current second reading ordinance would have to be "substantially changed" so by state law if we amended it we'd have to delay it another week anyway...so we have to decide what to do with it....
2. There will be a new first reading of an ordinance showing up next Tuesday. The second reading of it would be July 6 (since we don't have a regular meeting the last week of the month).
3. The provisions of the new ordinance (compromise) is:
* GENERAL public input at the beginning of the meeting stays there, at the beginning of the meeting
* GENERAL public input SHALL be NO MORE than 30 minutes (no exceptions)
* Input will now be accepted at the FIRST readings in addition to the second readings and resolutions and other action items we do now. By doing this, those who had to use general public input to talk to a first reading since input wasn't allowed on those can and will wait for the first reading item. By doing that, general public input goes back to what it was originally intended to be, things NOT on the agenda, at all, like a concern someone has with how their road was plowed, or whatever. By moving first reading input people to the first reading item, it will open up time in the general public input for people with one-off concerns. Usually when public input runs long like this last Tuesday its a huge group concerned about an item on the agenda for first reading that they can't speak to then, so use public input. This is a huge change because first reading has not been a time you could speak to an item in the past, now you will. That also handles a concern people have had for a while that by second reading it was tough to change a Councilor's mind. This lets them have input earlier in the process which is great.
* Time per speaker at public input is limited to 3 minutes per speaker (instead of 5 as before).
* No electronic items allowed going forward, which would include PowerPoint presentations, videos, audio, etc on our computer.
* Using the overhead projector to show items you bring, such as documents, such as if an attorney wants to show documents, or if you want to show a series of photos, is allowed unlimited within your time allotted.