When I arrived at 5:50PM for the 6:30PM regular session of Monday’s Richland 2 board meeting, I learned I was too late to sign up to speak. A staff member explained that sign-up time ended at 5:45PM.
Why in the world would you require speakers to show up at least 50 minutes before the board meeting re-convenes?
The closing time for sign-up used to be 15 minutes before the start of the meeting. Why is it different now?
Imagine the public’s wait if 6-10 speakers show up. They will have a very long wait until the second Public Participation segment.
If you really cared about the public, you would allow up to 10 speakers for 30 minutes to speak, and not make the last five wait for, sometimes, two hours to speak.
I request a written reply and hope to hear that you will change this meaningless procedure.
Gus Philpott
Columbia
