The city was allowing residents two minutes to speak total — no matter how many agenda items they wished to comment on. Now, people will get at least two minutes per item.
Austin City Council made several changes to its meeting rules that the city hopes will improve public engagement and transparency.
Residents will also now be allowed to speak during council work sessions. Work sessions are usually held the Tuesday before a City Council meeting and include briefings from staff and discussions of items the council wants to hear more about before taking a vote. Bill Bunch, the group’s executive director, said the city should allow people to speak on each agenda item. He also argued the law allowed the public to address council during nonvoting meetings, such as work sessions.
"It's bad policy," Bunch said."If someone makes the effort to come down and be heard they should be able to speak on it because they might not be able to come back. And it's still on the table, so having input earlier is beneficial."
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