2 weeks Ago By Michael DiVittorio
Indiana Township residents who want to address the board of supervisors at meetings will have some new rules to follow. Rule changes include a reduction from five minutes to three minutes per speaker. The board can vote to end public comment after 30 minutes.
After that, people who wish to speak about nonagenda items will be given a chance to speak at the next meeting. The previous regulations did not list an overall time limit for public comment. Other new rules include: • People who want to speak at a meeting use a sign-in sheet before its commencement.
• All video recording equipment shall be stationed in the rear of the meeting room along a wall or other location that does not obstruct the audience’s view. • Audio and stenographic recording devices shall be operated in the general seating area and may not be placed on the supervisors’ table without prior consent of the presiding officer of the meeting. • Those using audio and/or video recording equipment must refrain from moving about the room with the equipment during the meeting.
The previous set of rules did not address audio or video recording devices. Supervisors voted 3-2 to pass a resolution establishing the new guidelines on March 12. Mayor Darrin Krally, deputy mayor Albert Kaan and board member Paul Jorgensen voted in favor.
Board members Sarah Hertweck and Jonathan Neumann dissented. Krally said the last time meeting participation rules were formally addressed was about 40 years ago. “It has been some time since these rules of order have been modified, and quite honestly this is something we do all of the time,” Krally said via email.
Township manager Dan Anderson said no particular incident or meeting with hours-long public participation sparked the changes. Public comment rule adjustments were part of a bigger update to all township regulations. “We’re going through the process of recodifying (our laws),” he said.
“Doing that (we) had noticed a number of ordinances that were outdated including the fire code, the property maintenance code, our ordinance that regulated obscenity and pornography and our ordinance regulated timber harvesting were all outdated. “We’re recodifying everything, so we want to make sure that if there are changes to what’s in there, we address them before we finish the recodification so that it’s all incorporated.” Supervisors on March 12 also voted to advertise the aforementioned ordinance updates.
Anderson said some of the previous public comment rules were also not enforced, namely the one that required residents who wanted to address the board on general matters or special concerns to provide written notice to the township at least seven days before a meeting to be put on the agenda. “We have not done that for years,” Anderson said. “We’ve always allowed people to speak.
” Neumann said he voted against the resolution because he claimed residents did not have an opportunity to see it or comment prior to a vote. “Citizen participation is the beating heart of local democracy,” Neumann said via email. “You cannot say you value citizen participation and then restrict the ability of taxpayers to meaningfully participate in rule changes that impact citizen participation itself.
“We should not be changing the rules governing public comment without showing our taxpayers those changes first and extending the courtesy of allowing them to share with us their thoughts on such a crucial decision before it is made.” He also had concerns about the 30-minute time limit and the overall reduction in time residents had to speak. “I would prefer to keep the individual time limit at 5 minutes, but the 3-minute limit is suggested by Pennsylvania’s Office of Open Records,” Neumann said.
“I would not object to that change. “I value public comment and cannot foresee any reason why I would vote to end citizen’s forum after 30 minutes other than a situation that threatened public safety. Since it is a public vote, any supervisor who wants to invoke this 30-minute rule for their own convenience will have to deal with the public backlash of sending taxpayers home without giving them a chance to voice their opinion.
” Krally said the new rules are in line with how neighboring municipalities conduct their meetings, and the goal is to keep things professional while allowing residents’ voices to be heard. “Meeting should always include professional, adult behavior, even when we discuss controversial topics or make decisions that aren’t pleasing to a small portion of the public,” Krally said. “The rules are in place to set a pathway to continued success for not only our board meetings but also the Township’s overall growth and development as well.
” Kaan, Jorgensen and Hertweck did not respond to messages seeking comment. Supervisor meetings are the second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m.
at the Town Hall, 3710 Saxonburg Blvd..
