Countdown clock to stay: Council approves public participation rules

Chicago City Council countdown clock used for public comments

Kelly Tarrant, writing for the Project Six watchdog group, highlights the efforts of Project Six and advocates to include public comments in city council meeting agendas for the first time. They testified before the Chicago Committee on Committees, Rules, and Ethics, addressing issues with proposed rules that would limit public comments at full city council meetings to 10 people, each speaking for 3 minutes.

Initiatives like these ensure every voice is recognized and valued, promoting an inclusive city council where public comments are welcomed and celebrated.

June 29, 2017 | by Kelly Tarrant

On Wednesday, June 28, the Chicago City Council met for the monthly meeting of the full council. The controversial vote on public comment limits, many ceremonial speeches, ordinances regulating certain business licenses, proposals aimed at commenting on President Trump policies and many more items were debated and voted on.

Some of the significant items included in this month’s meeting include:

Only 30 minutes

Despite significant public pushback, the City Council passed the 30-minute limit on public comments for full council meetings. Last year, a Cook County judge ruled that Chicago was violating the Open Meetings Act and ordered the city to provide an opportunity for members of the public to comment and ask questions during the monthly full City Council meetings. In response to the order, aldermen proposed only 30 minutes of public comment time at each meeting, with 3 minutes per person to speak. Meaning that 10 people would have the opportunity to speak during each meeting. The ordinance passed, with two dissenting votes by Alderman Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward) and Alderman Ameya Pawar (47th Ward).

In response to the vote, Project Six issued a statement: “The city’s excuse for passing this unacceptable proposal was that there were already ample opportunities for people to comment at committee meetings, and that any more time for comment would be ‘redundant.’ This is not true. The full City Council meeting is one of the best outlets for members of the public to address the city’s leaders on the record and in front of the media.”