[Adopted 4-4-1994; amended in its entirety 1-4-2010]
A. 
Except for public hearings duly designated as such by action of the Town Board, public participation at meetings of the Town Board shall be limited to the public participation segment of the agenda of Town Board meetings, once a month, and not at Town Board workshops.
B. 
Public comment, whether during the public participation segment of the Town Board meeting or during a duly designated public hearing, shall be limited to three minutes per person. An individual’s time may not be given or traded to other speakers or reserved for other portions of the meeting.
C. 
Any person wishing to speak at a public meeting during the public participation segment or during a public hearing must sign the sign-in sheet upon entering the room, when such sign-in sheet is available, indicating his or her intention to speak, which sheet will be used by the Supervisor or the presiding officer to recognize speakers.
D. 
Any individual wishing to speak during the public participation segment or during a public hearing when a sign-in sheet is not available shall raise his or her hand. When recognized by the Supervisor or the presiding officer, the individual must stand and state his or her name and, if appropriate, group affiliation and must state the subject he or she will be addressing.
E. 
Comments must relate to the purpose of the public hearing or to agenda topics of the particular meeting.
F. 
The Town Clerk shall act as timekeeper or shall designate another elected official as timekeeper.
G. 
Members of the Town Board, speakers and audience members must observe proper decorum. Any statements made during the meeting or during a public hearing by the Supervisor, members of the Town Board, Town officials or employees, or members of the general public shall not involve personal, impertinent, or slanderous attacks on individuals, regardless of whether the individual so attacked is an elected official, a Town official or employee, or a member of the general public.
H. 
The Supervisor or the presiding officer shall control the meeting. The use of profane, vulgar, inflammatory, threatening, abusive, or disparaging language or racial or ethnic slurs directed at the Supervisor, members of the Town board, members of the general public, or statements by a person attending the meeting which are not made during the public participation segment of the agenda or during a public hearing shall not be tolerated.
I. 
It is inappropriate to utilize a public meeting for the purpose of making political speeches, including threats of political action, and the same will not be allowed.
J. 
Comments by speakers must be addressed to the Town Board. Attendees may not address the Town Board unless recognized by the Supervisor or the presiding officer.
K. 
Discussion between speakers and attendees of the public meeting or hearing are prohibited. A speaker may disagree with or support prior speakers in comments directed to the Town Board.
L. 
Banners, flyers or other signs are not permitted in the meeting room. Distribution of flyers in the meeting room are also not permitted.
M. 
If the Supervisor or the presiding officer fails to enforce the rules set forth above, any member of the Town Board may move to require him or her to do so, and an affirmative vote of a majority of the Town Board shall require him or her to do so. Any decision relating to enforcement of the rules set forth above may be appealed and overturned by a vote of a majority of Town Board members.
N. 
Any person who disregards the directives of the Supervisor or the presiding officer in enforcing the rules or who generally conducts himself or herself in a boisterous or inappropriate manner while addressing the Town Board, disturbs the peace at a meeting and will be barred from further participation and forfeit any balance of time remaining for his or her comments.
O. 
If a speaker who has violated these rules refuses to step down, the Supervisor or the presiding officer may ask for the individual to be removed from the meeting room and charged with disorderly conduct as per the Penal Law.
P. 
The above rules shall take effect at the next meeting of the Town Board after the adoption of these rules.