Print
Share page with AddThis

2019/08/26 - Mayor's Column: City Council Meeting Decorum

“An Open Door to O’Fallon”
A Weekly Note from O’Fallon Mayor Herb Roach
 

One of my priorities as Mayor has been to provide an open and accessible city government. Unfortunately, several people have expressed concerns to us about their safety in attending City Council Meetings due to recent events during the public comments portion of the meeting. I want to assure everyone that we want an open and safe environment for all of our citizens to be able to come and express their ideas and concerns with the City Council.

We have been fortunate that City Council Meetings are generally civil, and we have not had to enforce the procedures of decorum that have been in place for several years.  However, the rules of order and procedure for City Council Meetings will be enforced in order to provide the opportunity for all residents to attend a Council Meeting and feel safe. These measures will not infringe on anyone’s freedom of speech. However, they will require that all presenters are respectful in their speech and time allotment.

The codified Rules of Order and Procedure can be found in the O’Fallon, Illinois Code of Ordinances Title III, Chapter 30 Section 30.07.

This statement is an effort to clarify the Rules of Order and Procedure and let people know how they are expected to conduct themselves while providing public comments at City Meetings.

  1. Anyone speaking will be given up to five (5) minutes to speak. When five minutes have elapsed, the Clerk will inform the speaker/s that their time is up.
  2. If the time limit is exceeded, the microphone will be turned off and speakers will be asked to take a seat.
  3. Speakers who exceed the five (5) minute limit who do not cease talking and/or step away from the podium after being warned, will be asked to leave the Chamber.  If they refuse to do so, a police officer will escort them from the Chamber. 
  4. Anyone who gets loud, abusive or threatening will be warned once and if they continue, they will have their microphone turned off and they will be asked to step away from the podium.  If they refuse to do so they will be escorted from the Chambers by a police officer.
  5. If anyone has any papers or materials they wish to share with the Council please leave them on the table in front of the podium.
  6. Members of the public are not permitted to approach the Dais without permission from the Mayor or presiding Alderman.   

We want all people to feel safe in City Hall and encourage everyone to come and express their ideas and thoughts to our Council.

As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open!