A request by a citizen to address the Town Council with an extended presentation at its Jan. 17 session raised some questions from people unaware it was possible for individuals to ask for extended time.

Eugene Mikolajczyk had asked for 10 minutes to address the council related to the repeal of the Town’s sign regulations at the Jan. 3 council meeting. However, Mikolajczyk, an attorney and former member of the Town’s Planning and Zoning Commission, was not present for the session and the item on the agenda was skipped.

The Town’s Board/Commission Handbook – latest version dated Oct. 5, 2021 – does allow for a “citizen or group (to) apply to have an item placed on the agenda as follows:

“Obtain a ‘Scheduled Public Appearance/Presentation’ form from the Town clerk and, when completed, return it to the Town clerk for submission to the Town manager.

“The Town manager or authorized designee shall research the issue to determine if it may be handled administratively or will require Council discussion. If it is determined that the matter should be placed before the Council, the Town manager shall ensure that documentation, if any, is compiled and the material included in the agenda packet. If the Town manager determines that the subject should not be placed on the agenda, an individual wishing to have an item on the agenda as a ‘Scheduled Public Appearance’ may (i) ask that the request be forwarded to the mayor for consideration or (ii) obtain the written request of three members of the Council to place the item on the agenda, and submit that request to the Town manager.

“The Town manager may postpone the requested appearance/presentation date, if additional staff time is needed to research a proposed agenda item.”

This procedure is sometimes used when a larger group of residents wishes to speak on an issue and wants to consolidate their time for a single speaker to present longer than the allotted three minutes for comment.

Requests must be made up to nine days prior to the meeting to allow staff to prepare information and provide it to council members prior to the session.