A digital clock on the wall of the council chambers will time public comment at Council meetings.
A digital clock on the wall of the council chambers will time public comment at Council meetings.
The Chicago City Council has agreed to listen to public comments -- for 30 minutes.
At its June 28 meeting, the council decided to follow a Cook County judge's order to provide an opportunity for meeting attendees to speak by agreeing to let 10 people speak at each meeting for up to 3 minutes apiece.
Project Six, an Illinois-based government accountability task force, criticized the time limit as being far too brief.
Project SIX CEO Faisal Khan
“Giving 10 Chicagoans, at 3 minutes apiece, the opportunity to voice their concerns or ask questions during the full City Council meetings is an insult to the taxpayers of the city," Project Six CEO Faisal Khan said. "The city’s excuse for passing this unacceptable proposal was that there were already ample opportunities for people to comment at committee meetings, and that any more time for comment would be ‘redundant.' This is not true. The full City Council meeting is one of the best outlets for members of the public to address the city’s leaders on the record and in front of the media.”
Khan argued that the ordinance will bring more lawsuits – such as the one that led to the judge's ruling in the first place – and should be re-evaluated.
42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly and 47th Ward Alderman Ameya Pawar voted against the time limit.
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