The Times They are a Changin’ – City Council Implements Modifications
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Addressing potential solutions to the lengthy and at-times volatile public comment sessions during recent council meetings, the city is looking to change meeting start-times from early evenings to late afternoons. It will also relocate public comment sessions from the traditional meeting-start to meeting-end and extend each speaker’s allotted time limit by adding additional minutes.
“All meetings will now start at 5 p.m.,” city Mayor Ron Kim announced while proposing the changes during the council’s Feb. 21 meeting. “We (will be) starting a little earlier to get to some of the standard business that has to be done by our City Council.” City Council meetings are typically held on the first and third Tuesday of each month.
Public Comment periods – both, those targeting specific proposals as well as sessions provided for general commentary – will be moved to the tail end of meetings. The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors similarly stage their public comment periods at the end of their regular meetings. Each speaker will be allotted twice as long to talk as is currently allotted.
“Each person will have four minutes to speak, rather than the current two minutes,” Kim said. “People seem to be very constrained by the two-minute time period. We’re doubling the time and adding a (once-per-month) Community Forum which will allow groups to speak to us in a more open and less constrained manner. We do believe this will enhance our ability to interact with the public.”
The changes are anticipated to go into effect with the council’s next meeting on March 7. The 5 p.m. commencement stands in contrast to the traditional 7 p.m. start of meetings that back many years and through several administrations. A sampling:
April 4, 2000 – Mayor Ken Klotz called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Meeting Notes: Commissioner Thomas McTygue informed Council members that two individuals had been apprehended in Congress Park for pouring dye on the Katrina Task stairway. He said these individuals were caught due in great part to the new cameras placed throughout the park.
April 20, 2004 – Mayor Michael Lenz called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. and reviewed some of the guidelines for the public comment period: 1 – Speakers must step to the microphone and give their name, address and organization; 2 – Speakers must limit their remarks to two minutes on a given topic; 3 – A total of 15 minutes shall be allotted at the beginning of each Council meeting for the public comment period. If more time is needed, time will be provided to those still wishing to speak at the end of the Council meeting; 4 – All remarks shall be addressed to the Council as a body, not solely to any member thereof; 5 – Speakers shall observe the commonly accepted rules of courtesy, decorum and good taste.
March 21, 2006 – Mayor Valerie Keehn called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Agenda: Finance Commissioner Mat McCabe leads discussion on city Bond Rating; Public Safety Commissioner Ron Kim announces the formation of a Pedestrian Safety Committee.
July 15, 2008 – Mayor Scott Johnson called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Several people spoke during the public hearing regarding the donation of land to the Shelters of Saratoga (SOS) on Walworth Street to enable the Shelters to build a transitional housing to compliment the Shelter already existing there.
Dec. 6, 2016 – Mayor Joanne Yepsen called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Discussion and Vote: Resolution for Humanity, Respect and Inclusiveness; Announcement: Special City Council Meeting on Affordable Housing scheduled to take place Dec. 14.
Oct. 5, 2021 – Mayor Meg Kelly called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. and opened the public comment period at 7:01 p.m. Melanie Trimble of the New York Civil Liberties Union addressed the arrests made of BLM activists in the past weeks and expressed the belief that the protestors were engaged in actions protected by the first amendment.
Feb. 21, 2023: meeting call to order 7 p.m. City Mayor Ron Kim lead a discussion regarding changes for future City Council meetings.
The proposed changes
• Saratoga Springs City Council meetings will now be called to order at 5 p.m.
• Public Comment Period, normally held at the beginning of meetings and allowing 2 minutes per public speaker, will now be held just prior to conclusion of meeting, allowing 4 minutes per speaker.
• Proposals up for vote requiring public comment will be re-arranged accordingly, so the public may voice their opinion prior to a Council vote taking place.
• At least one City Council meeting per month will also include a Community Forum. That forum, anticipated to run 30-to-60-minutes in length, will be an open forum and focus on one specific item, selected by the mayor’s office with public input. Council members and supervisors are invited, but not required, to attend the forums.
