1 of 1
RESOLUTION NO. 2025 – 11
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PATTERSON AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 92-25 TO MODIFY THE PUBLIC COMMENT TIME
LIMIT DURING CITY COUNCIL, COMMISSION, AND BOARD MEETINGS WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Patterson is committed to conducting City business in an open and transparent manner while ensuring efficient and effective governance; and WHEREAS, City Council meetings serve as a critical forum for public engagement, allowing residents to observe deliberations, provide input, and participate in the City’s decisionmaking process; and WHEREAS, City Council meetings are governed by the Ralph M. Brown Act, which ensures public access to meetings, agendas, supporting materials, and opportunities for public comment; and
WHEREAS, Resolution No. 92-25, adopted on April 21, 1992, established policies for public participation at City Council meetings, including a five-minute per-speaker time limit for public comments; and
WHEREAS, the City has recently implemented virtual public comment options, significantly increasing public participation and making meetings more accessible to residents who may face barriers to in-person attendance; and
WHEREAS, to evaluate best practices, the City Clerk conducted a survey of cities across California to determine their public comment time limits, and the results showed that the majority of cities have adopted a three-minute limit per speaker; and WHEREAS, reducing the public comment time limit from five minutes to three minutes will allow for more speakers to participate while ensuring that City Council, commission, and board meetings remain efficient and productive; and
WHEREAS, the City Council retains the authority to adopt reasonable meeting standards and regulations on public testimony to facilitate the orderly conduct of City business in accordance with the Brown Act.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Patterson, as follows to wit:
1. The City Council hereby amends Resolution No. 92-25 to modify the public comment time limit from five (5) minutes to three (3) minutes per speaker for all public comments at City Council, commission, and board meetings. 1 of 1
2. The presiding officer shall retain discretion, as outlined in Resolution No. 92-25, to adjust public comment duration based on meeting circumstances, including but not limited to the number of speakers, meeting length, and complexity of agenda items.
3. This resolution shall apply to all meetings of the City Council, commissions, boards, and other advisory bodies governed by the City of Patterson.
4. The City Clerk shall ensure that the amended policy is reflected in meeting procedures and that the updated public comment guidelines are made available to the public.
5. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption.
The foregoing resolution was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Patterson held on the 4
th day of March 2025 by _________________, who moved its adoption, which motion was duly seconded by __________________, and the resolution adopted by the following roll call vote:
AYES:
NOES:
EXCUSED:
APPROVED:
Michael Clauzel
Mayor of the City of Patterson
ATTEST:
Aracely Alegre
City Clerk of the City of Patterson
I hereby certify that the foregoing is a full, correct and true copy of a resolution passed by the City Council of the City of Patterson, a Municipal Corporation of the County of Stanislaus, State of California, at a regular meeting held on the 4 th day of March 2025, and I further certify
that said resolution is in full force and effect and has never been rescinded or modified.
DATED:
______________________________________
City Clerk of the City of Patterson