Residents addressing the Bandera City Council during meetings will now face new restrictions under changes to the “citizens to be heard” portion of the agenda.
According to Mayor Denise Griffin, the revisions were made to comply with updates to the Texas Government Code 551.007 and were adopted by the city on Oct. 14 following a recommendation from City Attorney Matthew Grove.
The new rules limit public comments to items listed on the meeting agenda or proposals for future agenda items.
The change was announced at the beginning of the council’s Oct. 14 regular meeting, prior to opening the floor to citizen comments.
During that meeting, city council candidate Tammy Morrow spoke about what she described as “berating” she received at a prior meeting over questions regarding the city’s garbage rates.
Whispered comments picked up on the council’s YouTube feed indicated concern from some members that Morrow’s remarks might violate the updated rule, though she was allowed to continue for her allotted three minutes.
“I agree there’s a business to run, but it needs to be done honestly and without undue burden on citizens,” Morrow said. “Municipalities cannot generate revenue in excess of what the city needs to operate the program, and $90,000 is excessive for garbage administration.”
According to the revised policy, each speaker must provide their legal name and address for city records and may only address agenda items or propose future topics for consideration.
Each speaker is limited to three minutes, and personal or slanderous remarks may result in removal from the meeting.
The full text of the policy is available in the Oct. 14 Bandera City Council meeting agenda.
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