Bloomfield Township Trustees Vote to Limit Public Comment

(Originally published on Dec. 6, 2016) BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI — After a brutal election that spilled over into public comments at Bloomfield Township meetings, officials voted 5-2 decision Monday to limit the amount of time for public comment at its meetings, The Birmingham Eccentric reported.

Under the new policy, speakers have three minutes to make their points at the beginning and end of each meeting. An existing policy allows public comment on all agenda items. The new policy doesn't apply to public hearings.

“It’s become more of a debate, it’s become more of name-calling, it’s become disrespectful,” Trustee Neal Barnett said Monday. “And I have to tell you, when I’m out in the community, people will come up to me and say to me, ‘What can you do about this? It’s really embarrassing.’ As long as we are giving people the opportunity to be heard per the law, I’m strongly in favor of the resolution.”

The township board is getting some blow-back from residents.

Marcia Robovitsky, who speaks regularly at meetings, said the township board is “missing the opportunity to hit a reset button and have a magic moment where both sides of the microphones can come together and have civil dialogue.”

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