| (a) Persons desiring to address the City Commission are
encouraged, but shall not be required, to fill out and turn in to either the
City Clerk, Mayor, or presiding Commissioner, prior to the meeting, a comment
card disclosing the following information: The person's name, address, and
telephone number; the specific issue, topic or resolution the individual wishes
to address.
(b) During public hearings when scheduled, speakers may present
facts and opinions on the specific matter being heard by the Commission. A
three-minute time limit is imposed per speaker. In the discretion of the Mayor
or presiding officer, the time limit for individual speakers may be lengthened
or shortened when appropriate.
(c) During the consideration of
specific ordinances when scheduled, speakers may present facts and opinions on
the specific ordinance being considered by the City Commission. Speakers
addressing the City Commission during this time shall limit their comments to the
specific issue being considered. A three-minute time limit, which may be
lengthened or shortened by the Mayor or presiding officer when appropriate, is
imposed per speaker, per matter considered.
(d) During the public comment period on the consent agenda and
resolutions not on the consent agenda, each speaker may address the Commission
once, regarding anything on the consent agenda and resolutions not on the
consent agenda, for a total not to exceed five minutes regardless of how many
consent agenda items or regular resolutions the speaker is addressing, which
time period may be lengthened or shortened by the Mayor or presiding officer
when appropriate. Period may be
lengthened or shortened by the Mayor or presiding officer when appropriate.
(e) During the General Public Comment portion of the meeting, speakers may
address the City Commission on any matter within the control and jurisdiction
of the City of Battle Creek. A speaker shall be permitted to address the City
Commission once, for up to three minutes, during this portion of the meeting.
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(2) An individual wishing to address the City Commission shall
wait to be recognized by the Mayor or presiding Commissioner before speaking.
An individual who has not filled out a card requesting to address the City
Commission shall raise his or her hand and wait to be recognized by the Mayor
or presiding Commissioner before speaking and shall identify themselves by name
and address and, if appropriate, group affiliation for the record.
(3) Speakers shall address all remarks
to the City Commission as a whole, and not to individual Commissioners.
Speakers shall not address their remarks to members of the public in attendance
at the meeting.
(4) A speaker will be ruled out-of-order by the Mayor or presiding
Commissioner and the Commission will continue with its business when the
speaker:
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| (a) Becomes repetitive or speaks longer than the allotted time; (b) Attempts to yield any unused portion of time to other speakers; (c) Engages in a personal attack upon a city employee, administrator or
Commissioner only if the personal attack is totally unrelated to the manner in
which the employee, administrator or Commissioner carries out his or her public
duties or office; (d) Uses obscene or profane language; (e) Engages in slanderous or defamatory speech; (f) Uses derogatory racial, sexual or ethnic slurs or epithets relating to
any individual or category of persons; or (g) Engages in conduct that interrupts or disrupts the meeting.
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