The Eugene City Council announced Wednesday they’ll pilot new rules during public forums beginning January 27. The changes are aimed at increasing equity and accessibility, while ensuring council has time to conduct business.
There are three main changes, including limiting testimony to 2 minutes instead of 3 minutes per person. Commenters will also be selected randomly as opposed to giving testimony in the order they signed up.
“When we’re first implementing [random selection], it will be relatively low tech, likely using a random number generator or shuffling the sign-in forms,” Jason Dedrick, a city policy analyst said. He adds that there’s a possibility the city could use online forms in the future.
The total time spent on public forums will also be capped at 90 minutes. Meaning, about 45 people will have a chance to speak.
“After 45, we’ll probably tell folks to feel free to sign up, but know that you may not be able to testify tonight. But, certainly you’re welcome to stay in case there’s time,” he said. Dedrick added commenters might not always use up their 2 minutes, freeing up time for others.
The average time spent on public forums is 1 hour and 26 minutes, according to a release from the city manager’s office. By implementing new time limits, the goal is to give more people the opportunity to testify.
“For those people who may only have a certain time that their availabile during the evening, they can know that [public forum] is going to happen sometime between 7:30 and 9,” he said.
The modifications will also allow councilors to discuss other matters of business. With increased participation over the past 18 months, Dedrick said councilors felt they couldn’t get their work done.
“In terms of making changes to public forum, it’s not something that has been done in quite some time possibly if ever,” he said.
City councilors and staff will review the pilot’s effectiveness after a 6-month period. The city is also exploring the possibility of holding public forums outside of Harris Hall to increase accessibility.
Forums typically occur on the 2nd and 4th Monday every month and can be streamed online on the city’s website.
Copyright KLCC 2020
