WATAUGA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PUBLIC COMMENT RULES

At the April 16, 2002 Watauga County Board of Commissioners meeting the Board established the following policy for public comment before the Board.

• The Board does hereby establish a time period of sixty (60) minutes, for an open forum, at the end of its second regular meeting in each month to hear citizen comments.
• Length of comment for each speaker may be limited to 2-5 minutes as decided per meeting.
• Comments are to be directed to the Board as a whole. The forum is intended to provide the Board of Commissioners an opportunity to hear citizens. It is not intended to subject the Board to answering impromptu questions. Citizens will be expected to be civil in their language and presentation and not to engage in slander or name-calling.
• During the 60 minute open forum, speakers should not discuss any of the following:
  1. Matters which concern the candidacy of any person seeking public office, including of the person addressing the Board;
  2. Matters in current or anticipated litigation.

Any citizen wishing to address the Board during the 60 minute open forum shall either call the Clerk to the Board any time prior to the regular scheduled meeting, or may sign a speaker's list prior to the commencement of the meeting. Speakers will be asked to identify themselves and to specify the subject matter of comments to be made.