Southold considers five-minute limit on Town Board public comment
In an effort to hear from more voices, Southold is considering a five-minute limit on public comment at Town Board meetings, whether attendance is in person or watched via the livestream.
“You want to encourage people to come and address the board as much as possible, not discourage them,” Town Supervisor Al Krupski said during Tuesday’s work session. “You see people drop off Zoom, see people leave the audience … because they don’t get a chance to address the board. You’re missing an opportunity there.”
The proposed limit, first raised by Councilwoman Kate Stevens at a Sept. 22 work session, would apply to public-comment periods at the beginning of meetings and before the board reads resolutions for public hearings.
Ms. Stevens compared public comment to managing a classroom, saying fairness and order help create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing ideas.
“Currently, I feel like we are the forum where people come because other forums are strict,” Ms. Stevens said. “They come to this forum and then their effect on this forum is to kind of monopolize time in a way that doesn’t allow other people to talk.”
Not everyone supports a time limit.
“A time clock is a crutch, not a replacement for human intelligence,” frequent public-comment speaker and Southold resident Benja Schwartz told The Suffolk Times. “A five-minute limit could be a guide, but it is not a substitute for acknowledging speakers’ points and adjusting time as available and required. Efficiency is important, but effectiveness is of primary importance. An arbitrary time limit should not be applied without provisions for reasonable discretion. It’s not the way we should be running the town.”
Robert Dunn of Peconic said if this is adopted, “We’ll live in a Southold that’s no longer the Southold we know,” at Tuesday night’s regular session.
“I personally think that’s stupid,” Mr. Dunn continued. “That doesn’t mean you have to listen to everybody when they’re up here for however long they want — you’re in control.”
Riverhead uses a three-minute timer for public comment, but Southold officials said they considered that too short.
Ms. Stevens said residents can also email the board to ask questions and receive more detailed responses.
“I read every email I get and try to respond to every person,” Councilman Brian Mealy said. “I got a postcard from a citizen telling me what their issues were, so I love stuff like that.”
The board plans to track how long residents speak to determine whether the current no-clock format is working fairly. No decision has been made on a limit or how long the tracking period will last. Members discussed tracking through November or the end of the year.
Officials have not settled who would run a timer if the proposal is adopted. Town Clerk Denis Noncarrow would most likely be responsible, they said, and a visible clock would be placed in the meeting room.
“We have to hear the public, we can’t be in a bubble,” Mr. Mealy said.
