And that will be a benefit to the public and to the city staff. By giving the public an opportunity to comment during those sessions, councilmembers will be free to engage in unfettered exchanges of viewpoint. That’s because Michigan’s Open Meetings Act does not allow a gathering of councilmembers to include deliberations, unless an opportunity is provided for the public to address the council. The exchange of viewpoints among councilmembers during those work sessions is currently tentative and spare, often in the guise of merely asking a question. More likely to have a positive qualitative effect, I think, is a rules change that adds an opportunity for public commentary at the council’s work sessions. Whether those quantitative changes will have a qualitative impact on the city council’s meetings is an open question. For each councilmember, the total speaking time per item of debate will drop from eight minutes to five minutes. For the public, the time per speaking turn will drop across the board – from three minutes to two minutes. Political winds were also blowing (indoors, and not quite as hard) at a meeting also attended by representatives of Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Saline and Ypsilanti Township – on “urban core” transportation.Įasiest to quantify are rule changes affecting speaking time limits. Flags flying over Pittsfield Township Hall on June 27, 2013.
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