Board Alters Rules for Public Comment

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to give the public more opportunity to voice opinions during weekly meetings.

In approving a proposal by Supervisor John Flynn, the board voted to do away with a 2-year-old system that generally limited public comment to an 8:30 a.m. time slot, hours before an agenda item might come up for debate and vote.

Under the proposal passed Tuesday, members of the public may address issues at the time the board is considering them, or may speak during the 8:30 a.m. time slot if they prefer.

Members of the public also may petition to have items taken off a so-called consent calendar, in which generally noncontroversial items are approved en masse without debate. The chair of the board, who this year is Supervisor Kathy Long, will decide whether to grant such requests.