Public comment

Lexington residents are welcome to speak at meetings with public comment as an agenda item. Public comment is currently offered at Council Work Sessions and Council meetings.

People who wish to speak must attend the meeting in person and sign up at the kiosks on the second floor outside the doors of the council chamber. Sign-up begins 30 minutes before the meeting and is available for 30 minutes after the meeting starts. If you wish to provide any handouts to the council, you can leave them in the tray next to the sign-up kiosks, and staff will distribute them after the meeting. You may also provide materials to council ahead of the meeting via email.

Email all councilmembers

LFUCG Council Guidelines for Public Engagement

Please silence cell phones and keep conversation levels at a minimum.

Public comment process

  1. Meetings: Public comment is encouraged and is listed as an agenda item at every regular council meeting and council work session for agenda items and general comments.
  2. Sign-In: Residents wishing to speak during public comment should sign in prior to the start of the meeting at which they want to speak. There are digital sign-in sheets outside of the council chamber for electronic sign-in and will be available for sign-in 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting and 30 minutes after the start of a council work session or regular council meeting.
  3. How-to: When the opportunity for public comment is afforded by council, it is a time for residents to address the council with their own spoken comments. When called to speak, individuals should start by stating their name and council district. At work sessions, there is an agenda item for public comment for issues on the agenda, and public comment about items on the agenda should be offered at that time. Public comment for issues not on the agenda is allowed at the end of the meeting. At council meetings, public comment will be at the end of the agenda. Public comment does not include the privilege of making presentations to council, multimedia or otherwise, including on personal devices by the speaker.
  4. Time: Each speaker is allowed three minutes. Members of the public who have signed up to speak may yield their three minutes, when present, to another member. One speaker is allowed up to a total of nine minutes, including time that has been yielded.
  5. Materials: Public comment does not include a privilege on the part of the speaker to make presentations to the council, i.e., PowerPoint presentations, multimedia presentations or other similar presentations. If a speaker would like to distribute materials to the council, they should be placed in the tray marked “materials for council” on the public comment table outside the council chamber. Materials will be distributed to the council by a council staff member. No USB devices or other portable digital media will be accepted.

Public participation

  1. Dialogue: Public comment at regular council meetings and work sessions is a time for the mayor and council members to listen to residents and receive exclusively verbal feedback for informational purposes only. Public comment is not a time for council members to engage in a dialogue with residents, nor is it a time for residents to make PowerPoint presentations or multimedia presentations of any kind to the council, or for the playing of multimedia of any kind, including on personal devices by the speaker.
  2. Political purposes: The public comment period will not be used to make political endorsements or for political campaign purposes.
  3. Decorum: Speakers shall exercise decorum during debate, conduct themselves in a courteous manner and refrain from using unbecoming, derogatory or abusive language and making personal attacks.
  4. Disruptions: Disruptions in support or opposition to a speaker or idea, such as clapping, cheering, booing or hissing, are not permitted in the council chamber.
  5. Signs and posters: No signs or posters that disrupt camera angles, the audience's view or inhibit the function of the meeting are allowed.
  6. Security: For security reasons, no person, except the mayor, mayor’s staff, council members, aides, council staff or anyone relevant to the meeting, shall be permitted beyond the podium or designated staff areas at any time.
  7. Removal: Any person who engages in or makes threats of physical violence shall be immediately removed from the meeting.
     

Any failure to adhere to these guidelines by any member of the public may result in loss of the public comment privilege at the meeting and/or removal from the meeting, as appropriate, at the discretion of the presiding officer.

These guidelines are provided for the orderly and civil conduct of City Council meetings. These guidelines apply to both the public comment period and legislative public hearings before the Urban County Council, unless otherwise provided.