| Public Comment Policy CONEMAUGH TOWNSHIP SUPERVISORS The Conemaugh Township Supervisors have a variety of responsibilities as government officials and recognize their obligation to obtain and the benefits to be received from public comments on matters pending before the Supervisors. To provide an orderly and efficient manner to obtain public comment and to provide the public with an opportunity to participate in the meetings of the Supervisors, the Supervisors hereby adopt the following policy for public comment.
OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT.
A. So as to permit the Supervisors to complete their regular business in a timely fashion, an open public comment period not to exceed thirty (30) minutes shall be provided at the beginning of each advertised, regular Supervisors meeting. In the event that the open public comment period exceeds thirty (30) minutes, any member of the Board of Supervisors may bring to the attention of the Chairman that the time period has been exceeded and the time period may thereafter be extended only upon majority vote of the Supervisors present.
B. Public comment shall be primarily for residents of Conemaugh Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Non-residents shall be permitted to speak only if no residents are present or if there is additional time remaining' during the public comment period. All persons addressing the Supervisors must identify themselves and give their current residence address. C. So as to permit maximum public comment and input, no individual speaker shall be permitted to speak for more than five (5) minutes regardless of topic and no time may be transferred or assigned by others to the speakers so as to extend the five (5) minute time limit.
D. It shall not be the normal practice of the Supervisors to give responses or answers to issues or questions raised during the open public comment period, either by the Supervisors or by employees of the Supervisors. Any questions or issues raised will be referred to the appropriate individual for review and response. This provision shall not preclude the Supervisors from responding to questions requiring brief answers or information.
E. In the event that persons shall wish to address the Supervisors requiring additional time beyond the thirty (30) minute open public comment period, the Supervisors may either defer public comment until the end of the regular agenda for an additional public comment period not to exceed thirty (30) minutes or may schedule a special or subsequent meeting for the purpose of obtaining additional public comment. F. Public comment may be stopped in the discretion of the Chairman of the meeting if defamatory or slanderous comments are made and additional comment by the speaker may be disallowed. Any member of the Board of Supervisors may request a vote of the Board of Supervisors to overrule the decision of the Chairman to permit additional comment by the speaker.
ADOPTED: April 14, 2004
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