City council reverses earlier action concerning public comments at meetings

MADISON – Changes are posed to come to the Madison City Council meetings once again. On Monday, the city council heard the first reading of and then passed an ordinance to repeal and replace Code Section 2-42(4) that shifted general public comments to the very end of city council meetings. The council briefly discussed at the August 28 work session reverting the agenda to its former order with public comments early in the meeting after the presentation of awards.

“I would like to go back to the way it was before,” Madison councilwoman Maura Wroblewski expressed in the work session. She described the current situation as “disjointed”. “It seems like it flowed a little bit better the way before,” she added.

“I think the other thing was the worry of department heads of what was happening there, and in talking with the department heads, they’re fine with the way it was,” said Mayor Paul Finley.

Councilwoman Karen Denzine also chimed in, “I like it at the beginning but if you do have something special, let them still have the second three minutes for agenda items.”

At the September 11 council meeting, Council President Ranae Bartlett presented the first reading of the ordinance as part of her presentation of reports.

According to Bartlett, “It was the consensus that this should be presented to the council to go back to the way we originally had it.”

Given the consensus to revert the agenda order, the council successfully voted to suspend the rules, skip the first reading, and immediately vote to implement the amended agenda. The ordinance passed unanimously, and the new agenda will be used at the next city council meeting on September 25.

The council went on later in the meeting to approve the appointment of Michael Harbour to Place 2 on the Zoning Board of Adjustment and Appeals from the Supernumerary 1 Position.

Infrastructure projects that received attention and funds included asphalt paving on Hughes Road as part of the Middle School Infrastructure Project, the County Line Road and Royal Drive Extension, the Sullivan Street Widening Project, the Hardiman Road and Madison Branch Boulevard roundabout, the Segers Road and Maecille Drive Intersection Improvement Project, and the Balk and Gooch Intersection Improvements.

The next city council meeting will be held on Monday, September 25 at city hall at 6 p.m.