Swain County residents will now have increased opportunities to participate in local government with the introduction of town hall-style public comment periods during bi-monthly work sessions, occurring the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m.
The new format is part of updated rules governing the board of commissioners’ meetings. Residents may submit items for the agenda in writing to the county manager prior to the meeting. Each speaker will be allotted five minutes to publicly speak with commissioners.
The vote passed 4-1 in a meeting Tuesday, Dec. 16. Commissioner David Loftis said people should not be required to submit questions via email. Question submission is not a requirement to speak at these meetings. Questions might not be answered immediately without further research.
“Any member of the public wishing to have a question addressed during the public forum must submit the question in writing to the county manager no later than the Friday before the work session, in which the public forum will occur,” said Lottie Barker, county manager. “This advanced submission allows staff and the board to obtain accurate information before the meeting. Members of the public may still sign up to speak, even they did not submit their questions in advance. If a speaker raises a question that was not submitted in advance, and the answer is not easily attained or readily available, the board will acknowledge the question and provided response, at a later time, after proper review.”
During regular sessions on the third Tuesday of each month, the board allocates 30 minutes for public comment, where individuals may speak on matters related to county business. Each speaker is limited to five minutes unless additional time is approved by the board.
The board holds work sessions on the first Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. and regular sessions on the third Tuesday at the same time, both at the Swain County Administration Building, 50 Main Street, Suite 300. If a scheduled meeting falls on a legal holiday, it is moved to the following week. Meeting agendas are prepared by the county manager and posted online 48 hours in advance.
For more information on Swain County Board of Commissioners’ meetings, agendas, or public comment procedures, visit www.swaincountync.gov.