Jenkintown Considering Setting Public Comments Limit

JENKINTOWN BOROUGH, PA —If you're going to speak out at the Jenkintown Borough Council meeting, you might have to talk a little faster.

The Jenkintown Borough Council will vote on a resolution at its meeting Wednesday night that would establish policies and procedures for public meetings.

Resolution No. 2025- 01 —the first item on the meeting agenda —states that public comment would be limited to a maximum of three minutes to speak per individual.

In certain circumstances —including meetings in which a large number of individuals want to speak —a time limit of fewer than three minutes may be utilized due to a desire to accommodate as many individuals during public comment as time allows.

The council president or presiding officer shall identify the limit at the beginning of the public comment portion of the meeting and such time limit shall be uniformly enforced. In no case shall a time limit of fewer than two minutes be designated, the resolution states.

Jenkintown Matters, the borough citizens group, cited a speech-limiting policy in Upper Darby Township in which citizens protested, successfully claiming in state court that the measure was a First Amendment violation.

"Do Upper Darby's citizens care more about free speech than Jenkintown's?" Jenkintown Matters said. "That's up to us."

Jenkintown Matters said that Borough Council has typically limited public comments to three minutes, claiming that it was always up to the discretion of the council president.

"In fact, Council President Jay Conners actually said during one meeting, "I can make it two minutes if I want to,'" Jenkintown Matters stated.

Before 2018 or so, there was no set limit, at least not one that was typically enforced. After a series of controversies that brought out citizens, the council started to impose limits.

Other eastern Montgomery governments like Hatboro and Abington Township also enforce the three-minute public comment rule.

Abington Township has a countdown timer and sometimes after the council president has told residents that their time is up, a police officer will walk over and steer someone away from the microphone.