Public before proclamations? Council sends the plan back

Atlanta’s plan to give residents an hour at the microphone before City Council’s ceremonial honors is headed back to committee—not into effect.⁠[1]

Council voted 14–1 on Oct. 19 to refer ordinance 26-O-1589 to the Committee on Council, according to draft action minutes and the ordinance’s legislative history. Wayne Martin cast the lone opposing vote. The history lists Nov. 2 at 11:30 a.m. as the next committee checkpoint.⁠[1]

We previously reported the committee’s acceptance of the walk-in proposal. Full Council’s subsequent referral leaves it unadopted. Council also voted 15–0 to file each of the two older public-comment ordinances, 26-O-1344 and 26-O-1483—not to enact their proposed rules.⁠[1][2]

Under the new proposal, public comment would start immediately after the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance. After one hour, Council would turn to proclamations, commendations and awards, then return to public comment. That second period would accommodate people who signed up before the scheduled meeting time but did not get to speak in the first hour. Earlier public comment would not mean everyone finishes before the ceremonies.⁠[1]

The proposal keeps the two-minute individual limit and ten-minute ceiling for someone receiving donated time. Speakers would be called in sign-up order, and receiving another person’s time could not be used to send a speaker to the back of the line.⁠[1]

People donating their time would have to be present for verification at the start of the initial comment hour. After officials confirm their presence and intended recipient, they could leave without the recipient losing the donated time.⁠[1]

Another proposed safeguard addresses missing sign-up sheets: if the clerk does not make them available as required, the public would receive at least as much additional sign-up time as the sheets were unavailable. Like the earlier speaking slot, that protection remains part of a proposal—not an enacted rule.⁠[1]