Only five minutes now? It's obvious the CC commission doesn't care to hear from its citizens, but instead wishes to push forward unopposed with its own agenda.
THE ISSUE
The Columbia County Commission recently cut the amount of time allotted to speakers at commission meetings from 10 minutes to five minutes.
The county board of education only allots three minutes per speaker at its meetings.
But no local government body in Georgia has to allow any time for public comments.
THE LAW
State open records and open meeting laws do not grant the public the right to speak at public meetings, says Augusta attorney David Hudson, who represents The Augusta Chronicle and the Georgia Press Association.
"Whether comments or questions are allowed is in the discretion of the board, and according to policies it might adopt," Mr. Hudson wrote in an article for Georgia Press Bulletin .
While denying the public an opportunity to comment might prove unwise, "it is not illegal for the board to have a regimen that citizens must follow to speak at a meeting," he wrote.
South Carolina law also provides no provision for public comment, South Carolina Press Association attorney Jay Bender wrote in an e-mail: "Nothing in the Freedom of Information Act requires a public body to provide an opportunity for public comment."
THE RULES
Those wishing to speak during a called meeting of the Columbia County Commission or the school board must ask to be placed on the agenda or fill out a form at the start of each meeting.
The Richmond County school board requires a written request, which must arrive at least seven business days before the meeting and include the topic of the speech. If approved by the school board president, the speaker must provide a written copy of the speech and limit remarks to three minutes.
To speak at an Augusta Commission meeting, a person must fill out an agenda item request form, available at www.augustaga.gov or the administrator's office at the Municipal Building on Greene Street. The form must be turned in by the Wednesday before the next Tuesday meeting. Each speaker is limited to five minutes.
The Aiken County Board of Education grants speakers five minutes to comment. Those wishing to talk may sign up as late as five minutes before a meeting. Anyone wishing to be listed as a speaker on the agenda must make the request by the Friday before the meeting.
At Aiken County Council meetings, speakers are limited to three minutes per person or 15 minutes per group.
Comments
Only five minutes now? It's obvious the CC commission doesn't care to hear from its citizens, but instead wishes to push forward unopposed with its own agenda.
This was put in place so that Ron "Double" Cross could have more time.
2, 5 or 45 minutes they will do what they want to do anyway.
If all the people that want to run the county commission , but not win an election, were to speak at their convenience, what would be accomplished? If your comment is well prepared, a lot can be said in 5 minutes. If you don't like the commission and how it operates, replace the commissioners with someone you like.
PT, blunt but to the point. LOL
This definitely needs to be changed so that you can be heard as a public citizen or even if you have questions that nobody on the board knew to ask FOR it's citizens! Replace the commissioners with someone you like? Please, sounds too much like the attitudes all ready in RC with getting a job, not what you know but who you know crap! So this means that if the commissioners really screw up, we can protest? NOT!
So here we have, on the board, some folks or companies' interest watchdog (Ron Cross?) (Blanchard and Calhoun, i.e. BLIGHT and CALAMITY) to say whether the public has a voice? Hmm, something fishy and don't smell quite right. You certainly could have spent some time prepping a 5-minute dialogue, but if it's not given the opportunity to be heard, then it's a pitiful waste.
First of all, based on what I've seen on the news, the public is not encouraged to speak at the commission or school board meetings. The folks were granted time to speak as courtesies but they really didn't want to hear them, right or wrong, such as the woman concerned about the school zone changes. Also the school calendars. They should also make the commisioners and board members speak only 5 minutes, and at public functions, too. Mr. Whitehead spoke on and on at a kids' program I attended, and it was a subtle way of encouraging votes.
I have spoke a lot at Columbia county zoning and commissioners. I believe it has made a difference. Preparation and prayer are the key when you are speaking.
The more envolved you are and your attitude can make a difference.
Relationships are all we carry to heaven so that is where a lot of our time needs to be spent.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
