Policy on Public Hearings

ARCHDALE CITY COUNCIL

POLICY ON LEGISLATIVE PUBLIC HEARINGS

The public hearing period during meetings of City Council allows the Petitioner and members of the public to present information to the Council in support of and in opposition to legislative matters that come before the Council for which a public hearing is required. These public hearings shall be conducted in a manner that allows a fair opportunity for persons to comment on the matter. Comments should be relevant to the matter being considered and should be limited to the introduction of new information not previously addressed by earlier speakers.  Those wishing to address the Council must give their name and address when called to speak and before addressing the issue at hand.  All comments shall be addressed to the City Council and not to individuals. All comments shall be made in a civil and calm manner and any references of a derogatory nature to specific individuals will not be permitted. The Council may stop repetitive, unrelated, and inappropriate comments and may have disruptive individuals removed if necessary. 

Anyone wishing to speak for or against a proposed amendment must sign in prior to the start of the hearing. Those who are speaking as a designated representative on behalf of the Petitioner or a designated representative of those attending to protest passage of the proposed amendment must be identified as such on the sign in sheet.  The Council will verify that there are no objections to the designation before allotting time to a particular individual on behalf of the Petitioner or group.  

Public hearings shall be conducted with persons in support of the proposed amendment speaking first and persons in opposition to the proposed amendment speaking second. Time allotted for rebuttals must concern points raised by the other side and extraneous arguments will not be permitted or considered. The Council strongly encourages a representative to concisely represent the views of their side as well as the rebuttal if any.  Council will designate a timekeeper. Unless the City Council, by a majority vote, changes the time limit, each speaker will be allowed to speak for a period of time no greater than the following time allocation:

a)    Petitioner or designated representative (only one person): Twenty (20) minutes.

b)    Professional consultants and other interested persons in support of Petitioner: A maximum of three (3) minutes each. 

c)    Designated representative for interested persons in opposition: Twenty (20) minutes. It is preferred that only one person be the designated representative for the opposition and be entitled to the entire 20 minute time period allowed. When multiple persons indicate a desire to be the designated representative, the Mayor may allocate an equal division of the 20 minute time period among all designated speakers.

d)    Professional consultants and other interested persons in opposition: A maximum of three (3) minutes each.

e)    Petitioner or designated representative (only one person): Fifteen (15) minutes for specific rebuttal of points raised by opposition.

f)    Designated representative for interested persons in opposition: Fifteen (15) minutes for specific rebuttal of points raised by Petitioner in their rebuttal.

After the public hearing has been closed, Council will open discussions among themselves and vote on the proposed amendment unless it is otherwise tabled or continued for further hearings.  Response to Council Member requests for additional information or clarification of comments shall not be considered a part of anyone’s presentation and does not create an opportunity to be heard or to rebut unless the Council votes to reopen the hearing.  However, Council Members may continue to request additional information or clarification of comments from the City staff, Petitioner or members of the public who are in attendance as they deem necessary.

This policy, adopted May 28, 2024, supersedes previous policies on legislative public hearings during meetings of City Council.