Fiscal Note
No significant fiscal impact.
Title
Amending Section 2.29(3) related to Alder question and answer following public comments of the Madison General Ordinances to impose a time limit for each Alder questioning public comment registrants.
Body
DRAFTER’S ANALYSIS: Currently, alders may question individuals who provide public comments with no time limit. This ordinance establishes a “five-minute rule” similar to that used by the committees of the U. S. House of Representatives. Under the ordinance, each alder has up to five minutes to ask questions and receive answers from each speaker offering public comments. After the alder has finished their question period, regardless of whether they have used their entire five minutes, their opportunity for asking questions of the same speaker is completed. The amendment allows alders to extend their questioning beyond five minutes upon a two-thirds vote of the Common Council.
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The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
1. Subsection (3) of Section 2.29 entitled “Persons’ Right to Address Common Council” of the Madison General Ordinances is amended as follows:
“(3) Except for informational hearings, registrants shall be limited to a three-minute address unless the Common Council agrees by a two-thirds (⅔) vote to extend the time. Following the completion of public comments for each item, Alders may ask questions of registrants for that item. Each alder may question each registrant for up to five minutes, including the time for the registrant’s responses. If an alder completes their series of questions in less the five minutes, their remaining time shall be forfeited. An alder’s time for asking questions and receiving answers may be extended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Common Council.”