New Public Comment Rules For ALX City Council Meetings Deferred After Disagreement: Report

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Alexandria’s city council isn’t done working on its overhaul of the regulations governing how residents may speak at its meetings and, on Tuesday, sent a proposed package back to staff until the end of the year, according to a new report.

The Alexandria Brief reports that City Council members couldn’t agree on how to define a personal attack and what residents might be qualified for longer speaking times.

Mayor Alyia Gaskins and two other council members were prepared to adopt the relevant resolution but were outvoted by those who wanted to wait.

The proposed resolution would incorporate the Citizen Participation Policy and Public Hearing and Public Comment Protocol into the city’s existing procedural rules. Recommendations included limiting presentation times, setting deadlines for submissions and testimonies, standardizing speaker registration requirements, enforcing rules of conduct and decorum, and limiting signage and other devices brought to meetings.

According to the outlet, council members and speakers took issue with some provisions, including limits on types of speech.

The council will return to the issue in December.

Read more from the Alexandria Brief here.