Opinion
By Sandy Kerry
06-30-24
Call to action! at the Tuesday May 21 city commission meeting Commissioner Ross brought up 3 very important items that will restore citizens’ right to comment and ask questions of their city commissioners during public comment and change the time for public comment back to the beginning of the meeting. (go to video item #9 Attorney Reports at 53:17 mins into mtg: https://fernandinabeachfl.new.swagit.com/videos/305922)
Commissioner Ross is also proposing changing 1 of the 2 city monthly workshops into a town hall meeting, so that citizens can ask questions. All of these changes would be done by amending the current Rules of Procedure adopted by this administration at their first meeting of 2024 (1/2/24) and according to City Attorney Bach, it would take a resolution to put these amendments on the next city commission agenda. I am urging ALL citizens (Fernandina residents and non-Fernandina residents) to come to the next city commission meeting and let your voices be heard! This would be the July 2 meeting at 6pm if this agenda item is in fact added and scheduled for that meeting. You can also email the city commissioners and mayor (see below) telling them you support all 3 of these changes. If you’re tired of not being heard, having to wait through long hours of a meeting to speak at the end for public comments, and not being able to comment or ask questions during workshops, then NOW is the time to insist that your elected officials do this!
During Tuesday’s meeting Commissioner Ross asked City Attorney Bach what the process would be to move citizen comments back to the beginning of the meeting.
Bach replied that we have rules of procedure. I would recommend that you amend your rules of procedure. We do that by resolution.
Ross then asked how do you get a resolution on the agenda? Can one commissioner do that? Bach answered: Right now we don’t have anything that says that one cannot.
Ross then asked what would be the procedure to change the rules so that citizens can ask questions during the comment period?
Bach responded: the same answer.
Ross continued with one last question: How about a procedure to have a monthly town hall meeting during the time when we have our 1st or 2nd workshops, so the public can ask the questions they want in public of their city commissioners?
Bach responded: At the very least you would amend your procedures, but it would definitely take a vote of at least the majority of the commissioners. Bach went on to say we have our rules of procedure, who can call a special meeting, the mayor or 2 commissioners. But not for the agenda.
The Mayor is clearly not in favor of this change as can be heard on the video where he states:
“I’ve been operating under the assumption this whole time that to add something to the agenda it takes either the mayor or 2 commissioners.
So I would like to update our rules of procedure so that they clearly state that it does take 2.”
Honestly, I’m having a hard time grasping how one could be in office for years and not know the basic rules of parliamentary procedure under Roberts Rules of Order. Or if the agenda has been wrongly administered for this many years by the wrong assumption, why was the error not pointed out or corrected by the city attorney long before now? Perhaps maybe no one ever asked the question. Thank goodness Commissioner Ross spoke up! He is speaking up not only for his constituents, but really all who are involved with matters at City Hall because what the city does, more often than not, impacts all of Amelia Island. Now it’s our turn to show our support of him and speak up!
It would appear that Mayor Bean clearly is not in favor of this change. It’s not hard to understand why this might be. If you control the agenda, you control the meeting. Likewise, if you control the order of business in a meeting, you control how, when, and whether citizens may participate. This also applies to the order of business set for the commissioners which was also changed requiring a motion and 2nd to the motion being made before discussion by commissioners.This is a very important change because if a commissioner can’t get a second on a motion, it effectively keeps it from ever coming to the table for discussion.
If we do not speak up now, citizens will continue to have to wait long hours until the end of city meetings to speak on matters of importance to them that are not on the agenda. Equally important is the consideration of changing how items are placed on the agenda. Every commissioner should have the right to place an item on the agenda. It should NOT require more than one commissioner to do so. To require two or more commissioners to place an item on the agenda, would prevent them from carrying out their legislative duties as public officials, which is to represent ALL citizens of Fernandina Beach, including the minority.
Here is the Resolution to be considered and voted upon:
Item 5.10 – Resolution 2024-124 Amending the city commission rules of procedure, by modifying provisions, related to placement of items on the city commission regular meeting agendas; “Town Hall” meetings of the city commission; and providing that public, for items, not on the agenda, be heard at the beginning of regular meetings; and providing for an effective date.
Synopsis: This is resolution proposes amendments to the city commission rules of procedure: to modify how items are placed on regular meeting agendas; designating the first Tuesday of each month be reserved for commissioner workshop discussion items; designating the third Tuesday of each month be reserved for citizen comments and questions in a town hall-style meeting; and for public comment for items not on the agenda be heard at the beginning of the meeting, following presentations and proclamations.
So please speak up NOW and come to the city commission meeting on Tuesday July 2 at 6pm and let your voices be heard!
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida
