PublicParticipation

Public participation

How a resident gets a word in at a CityCommission meeting.

In writing

Written comment must reach the CityClerk by 12:00 pm on the day of the meeting to be circulated to the Commission and staff before the vote and noted in the record. Mail to City Clerk, P.O. Box 5021, Great Falls MT 59403, or email [email protected]. Put the agenda item number in the subject line and include your name and either your address or the fact that you are a City resident.

At the podium

The rules live in the Commission Rules of Conduct and Procedure of Commission Meetings — see CommissionRulesOfConduct. Rule 10 covers public participation. In summary:

Give your name and either your address or that you are a City resident, and any organisation you represent
Address the presiding officer and the Commission as a body, not an individual member or a staff member
Five minutes on an agenda item at a public hearing or comment period; three minutes during petitions and communications. The presiding officer may grant more with the Commission's concurrence
Keep to the item, or to a matter of significant public interest within the Commission's jurisdiction
Public comment is not a two-way conversation, though the presiding officer may allow questions
A written statement may be handed to the Clerk instead of speaking; the same time limits apply if it is read aloud

Public hearings are advisory in character: they exist to put facts and opinion on the record before the Commission votes.

Petitions and communications

Most regular meetings open with a petitions and communications item for anything not on the agenda. The minutes routinely record residents using it — on the park district assessment, on fireworks, on the fire training centre, on housing developments.

Public participation guide: https://greatfallsmt.gov/259/Public-Participation-Guide-for-City-Meet Rules of conduct, Resolution 10645: https://greatfallsmt.gov/257/Resolutions

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Revision 1, last edited 2021-09-30T13:27:00Z by ElectricCityNotes.