Behavior at council meetings addressed

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

It’s probably an understatement to say some of this year’s Van Wert City Council meetings have been tense and at times, a bit chaotic. While much of the acrimony has centered around council’s approval of annexation and zoning of land for QTS’s planned $10 billion data center, there have been other topics that have drawn sharp criticism from some who attend council meetings. That criticism and other sharp remarks have come from city residents and those who live outside the city. Other times, discussion has strayed from business related to the city.

Shortly after the start of Monday night’s meeting, Council President Thad Eikenbary addressed some of the behavior at recent meetings and he laid out expectations moving forward.

“The purpose of a city council meeting is to conduct business of the city following the approved consent agenda,” Eikenbary explained. “These meetings are open to the public, they are not meetings of the public. Your comments to the administration and/or the council should pertain to items related to council and the business that we have at hand.”

Contrary to popular belief, there is no law that requires time for public comment but Eikenbary noted that at each council meeting, there are four specific opportunities for the public to speak. It’s different than the vast majority of other governing boards, which typically offer one chance to speak at a meeting.

“Following those four times that you have address council and/or the administration, please do not continue to just repeat points that have been made over and over and over again in the past,” he said. “We can hear you – it’s in the record, so please don’t spend the time repeating things over and over again.”

He also reminded those in attendance that they are only to address council if they are recognized by the president (of council) to do so. When that happens, he said each speaker is to state his/her name and address for the record, then will have two minutes to speak. Each person will have one opportunity to address council once in each of the four opportunities provided.

Eikenbary closed by saying behaviors that have been displayed at previous meetings, including ongoing conversations among audience members in the gallery will no longer be tolerated.

“If you can’t keep to these simple procedures, then you will be asked to leave,” he said. “Can we please leave the vitriol and the negativity and the finger-pointing, the name-calling and the accusations at the door? You have plenty of opportunity to share that stuff outside these meetings and feel free to do so, but please don’t bring it into the meeting.”

The message seemed to be clear. While some audience members addressed council on various topics Monday night, the meeting was perhaps the most civil one in several months.