What are the procedures of Public Hearings?
• The purpose of a public hearing is for the public to provide the Council with information and opinions on the subject on which the hearing was convened. • It is an official “on-the-record,” one-way communication geared toward giving the Council members data they should consider in their decision-making process. • The Mayor will open the public hearing and call for comments from the audience. Those desiring to speak should go to the front, clearly state their name and address and give their testimony. • To allow every participant a fair opportunity to be heard, statements should not exceed three minutes in duration. • No person may speak a second time until everyone has had an opportunity to address the Council. • Complex information should be put in writing with copies provided to the Clerk for insertion into the record and distribution to the Council.
