Graham council considers halving public comment time, prompting access concerns

Graham City Council considered a proposal to halve the time allotted to each public‑comment speaker from four minutes to two and to cap the total public‑comment period at 30 minutes during a special meeting on February 26, 2026, a change that would force groups with shared views to designate a single spokesperson. Mayor Chelsea Dickey told the council, "We can't enforce that, but it is a recommendation."

The city’s Rules of Procedure explicitly give the council authority to set comment rules. The procedural excerpt notes, "The Council must provide at least one opportunity for public comment each month at a regular meeting, except that the Council need not offer a public comment period during any month in which it does not hold a regular meeting." The same template language states the council "may adopt reasonable rules for public comment periods that, among other things: Fix the maximum time allotted to each speaker at X minutes; Provide for the designation of spokespersons for groups supporting or opposing the same positions; Provide for the selection of delegates from groups supporting or opposing the same positions when the number of persons wishing to attend the public comment period exceeds the capacity of the hall."

The move to direct staff to draft a new rules package began at a December 9, 2025 council meeting. Council members spent roughly an hour on the proposed changes at the recent special session after what city materials characterize as a "contentious, four-hour meeting" two weeks earlier. City Manager Megan Garner urged the council not to vote immediately and recommended delaying adoption until staff prepare a final draft; the council agreed to have staff present that draft for possible adoption at its next meeting on March 10.

Operational details discussed at the meeting would enforce a 30-minute ceiling on public comments; speakers who exceed the allotted time would be cut off. An attendee identified only as Ward told the council that speakers unable to finish during the half‑hour "would get cut off and could either come back the next month or submit something in writing." The proposal also frames a spokesperson requirement for duplicate comments as a recommendation rather than a binding rule, a distinction Dickey emphasized with her remark about enforceability.

The special meeting paired the rules discussion with budget planning for large construction projects in the upcoming fiscal year, keeping procedural changes tied to broader council workload and efficiency concerns. A fragment from an earlier report captured council leadership describing the effort as intended "to improve efficiency and keep meetings o..." but the full comment is truncated.

Online reaction has been sharply critical in at least one venue; a Facebook headline read, "Plans to curtail public comments at monthly meetings. Access to editorials is free. Graham city council set to strike out at residents, again –" The council has statutory authority under its rules to "fix the maximum time allotted to each speaker" and to designate spokespersons, but residents and advocacy groups will be watching whether a two‑minute limit and a 30‑minute cap materially change who gets to speak and how frequently. Staff will present the final draft at the March 10 meeting for possible adoption.