af 2-7-2023
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIODS
Sonoma County and Sonoma Cities
NOTE re SONOMA CITIES
TOTAL SPEAKING TIME: Seven of nine cities have a minimum of 30 minutes total speaking times – two exceptions are Petaluma and Sebastopol with 20 minutes.
MEETING PLACEMENT : Eight of 9 cities have Public Comment periods at the beginning of the meetings. Sebastopol is the only city with comment periods solely at the end.
NUMBER OF MINUTES PER PERSON: All 9 cities allow 3 minutes per person – with discretionary exceptions by Council or Mayor.
JURISDICTION TOTAL
Time
Alotted
MEETING NO.
Minutes
per
person
NOTES
Beg Mid End
Cloverdale NO LIMIT X 3 3 minutes are typically allotted to each speaker. However, Council may at its discretion revise the amount of time allotted. The Presiding Officer determines the time allowed for each speaker.
Cotati NO LIMIT X 3 Any member of the public wishing to speak to the Council on any item(s) listed on the
Consent Calendar or any matter(s) not listed on the agenda that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Council may do so at this time.
Healdsburg 30 X
(30
min)
3 If there are more than ten (10) audience/public comment speakers, the Mayor may reduce each speaker’s time from three (3) minutes “so that all speakers have an equal time to speak.” At the Mayor’s discretion, the public comment period may be extended past 30 minutes.
Petaluma 20 X (20
min)
3 Public comments are limited up to 3 minutes per person. Depending on the number of persons wishing to address the Council, time will be allocated in equal shares totaling no more than twenty minutes, subject to the Council’s discretion.
Rohnert Park 30 X 3 . . .subject to modification by the City Council in accordance with the adopted City Council Protocols.
Santa Rosa 36 & NO
LIMIT
X 12
spkers/
36 min
X no
time
limit
3 Speakers who do not have an opportunity to speak during the first public comment period will be allowed to make public comment under the second public comment period. The Mayor shall have the authority to limit public comments on non-agenda matters to less than three minutes based on the
number of speakers wishing to address the Council. Second period right before adjournment of meeting
SEBASTOPOL
(Orig'l 2017)
20 X (20
min)
3 SEBASTOPOL
(#1 Experiment)
20 X (20
min)
3 SEBASTOPOL
(#2 Proposal)
20 X (10
min)
X (10
min)
3 Sebastopol –
(TBD 2-7-2023)
Sonoma NO LIMIT X 3
Windsor NO LIMIT X 3
County Sonoma
(All day meeting begins at
8:30)
Unknown
(Determined by
Board Chair)
X UNKNOWN
(Determined
by Board
Chair)
All day meeting. Begins 8:30am. Public Comment 3pm approx.
Available time for comments is determined by the Board Chair based based on agenda scheduling demands and total number of speakers.”