LAWTON – The Comanche County Board of Commissioners is reviewing its policy on allowing the public to participate in board meetings, which has not been updated since the early 2000s.
The commission discussed the issue May 1 with District Attorney Kyle Cabelka but delayed action, giving the commissioners more time to decide how to proceed.
Commissioner Josh Powers said he put the item on the agenda because he was curious about the current public comment policy.
“I guess it’s been a really long time since we’ve gone back over this – 2001,” he said. “Over 20 years, there’s definitely been progress made and case law and stuff like that in reference to this.”
Powers said he would like to continue reviewing the current policy to ensure it satisfies the requirements of Oklahoma’s Open Meetings Act.
Commission meetings routinely include a block of time when people may comment on various topics, including issues facing the county. The public comment period occurs at the end of each week’s agenda, right before adjournment.
Cabelka said the commission is not legally required to allow public participation in meetings, but the board does have to publish agendas that list specific items for discussion and possible action. He noted that the county’s current public participation policy, which was adopted in June 2001, allows people to address the commission but does not require commissioners to respond.
“In an open meeting, anybody from the public can come and address this board, whether it’s concerns about specifically things on this agenda or just things in general,” Cabelka said. “And that’s really up to you all to decide how you want to limit that.”
Cabelka said he thought the commission should continue to allow public participation, but the law does not require it.
Powers said the public comment period occurs after the commission has already voted on agenda items.
“Have you researched any further if that doesn’t make more sense to have the public participation maybe toward the front?” he asked. “So if there is public comment or something, we kind of have an idea ahead of time.”
Cabelka said there is no rule governing when the commission must allow public participation. He added that his research found some counties do not allow any public participation, while some set aside time for public comments during the meeting.
“There were a couple of counties that they have just kind of a block at the very beginning of the meeting, after the roll call and invocation and pledge, of public participation,” Cabelka said. “So you can hear anybody that’s come and chooses to speak before you take any action on anything. I think that’s probably the cleanest.”
Cabelka said if the commission decides to continue allowing public comments, it can set rules for how long people are allowed to speak.
“There’s a whole lot of things that you all, as a board, can do if you choose to have it,” he said. “If you don’t choose to have it, then that makes it, obviously, a lot more simple. But that’s not something that I would recommend.”