Winder City Council Welcomes Residents' Input at Meetings

City Council meetings are a terrific way to witness firsthand your local government at work.

The City of Winder hosts a council work session the first Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the , and a regular business meeting the first Tuesday following the work session at 6 p.m. in the same location.

Regular city council meetings are open to the public, and every agenda contains a line item titled “Citizen Input” wherein residents of Winder can present an issue or concern before the council.

In order to address council, interested parties must follow certain guidelines outlined in City Ordinance Sec. 2-30. Rules of Procedure. Part 3. Citizen Input. Synopses of some of the rules of procedure are as follows:

• Persons wishing to address the Council must first register as a speaker with the City Clerk either by phone or in person by 9 a.m. on the day before the Regular City Council Meeting is set to take place. They should be prepared to provide their name, residence address, daytime phone number, subject matter to be presented, and whether the subject is on the current Council Meeting agenda.
• The City Clerk will provide the registration information listed above to the City Administrator, who may have a member of the city staff contact the speaker before the meeting to attempt to resolve the issue. However, the speaker will still be welcome to attend the meeting and address the Council.
• Speaker Rules — 1) Only one person may approach the microphone at a time, and only the person at the microphone will be allowed to speak. 2) Speakers must address their issues to the chairperson rather than the individual Council members or city staff. 3) Speakers may file copies of their remarks or supporting information with the City Clerk. 4) Remarks must be limited to the specific subject matter being considered by the City Council in that public hearing.
• Time Limitations — 1) Typically, citizens who have registered as speakers will be called one at a time and will have a maximum of three minutes to speak, regardless of the number of issues they wish to address. 2) The Mayor may change time limits on any item coming before City Council. For instance, a City Council member may ask questions or make brief acknowledgements of a speaker – which in turn gives the speaker one minute to respond. Even more time may be granted to the speaker at the Mayor’s discretion or by a non-debatable motion approved by the Council. Additionally, if a speaker requires a translator – the time required for translation will not be counted against the speaker.

If you wish to register to address the city council during the next regular business meeting, scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7 or if you have any questions regarding citizen input procedures, contact City Clerk Sabrina Wall by phone at (770) 867-3106 or by email at sabrina.wall@cityofwinder.com.

Mark your calendars — the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee will sponsor a Martin Luther King Jr. Parade on Monday, Jan. 16, in Winder. The parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. at on North Broad Street, then proceed south on Broad Street to Athens Street before turning left onto Laura Street, left on Jackson, right on East Athens Street and left on King Street. The parade will end at about noon. will be closed Monday, Jan. 16, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.

What issues would you like to take up with the mayor and city council of Winder at a future council meeting? Tell us in comments.

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