All regular and special meetings of East Brandywine
Township shall be conducted according to the following order of business:
C. Public comment on non-agenda items.
D. Minutes of previous meetings.
K. Subdivision/zoning business.
L. Ordinances/resolutions/amendments.
M. Additional public comment, if time permits.
Public comment at regular or special meetings
shall be governed by the following rules and regulations:
A. The Chairman or, in his or her absence, the Vice Chairman
or other designated individual, hereinafter known as the "presiding
officer," shall preside over all meetings of the Board. The presiding
officer (PO) shall control the order of business and conduct of the
meeting, including but not limited to public comment from Township
residents and taxpayers.
B. Prior to taking official action on items appearing
on the agenda, the presiding officer shall allow a reasonable opportunity
for residents and/or taxpayers of East Brandywine Township to make
comments limited to the matter under consideration, subject to the
procedures set forth hereinbelow.
C. A reasonable opportunity for public comment for non-action
items and matters of concern, not appearing on the agenda for residents
and/or taxpayers of East Brandywine Township shall be held at each
advertised regular meeting and advertised special meeting of the Board,
subject to the procedures set forth hereinbelow. The total comment
period shall be no more than 30 minutes, unless extended by the presiding
officer.
D. The presiding officer or appointed individual shall
preside over all public comment and may, within his or her discretion:
(1)Â Recognize individuals wishing to offer comment.
(2)Â Require identification by name and address of each
individual wishing to make comment.
(3)Â Allocate available time among individuals wishing
to comment.
(4)Â Interrupt or terminate a person's statement when the
statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, irrelevant,
scandalous, impertinent or redundant of other comments; or any comment
the discernible purpose of which is to disrupt or prevent the conduct
of the business of the meeting.
(5)Â Request individuals to leave the meeting room and
the Township Building, if individuals engage in loud, boisterous,
unruly, disorderly, offensive or threatening speech or conduct or
have brought children or others who are disruptive to the meeting,
after verbal warning from the presiding officer. The presiding officer
may take such action as may be required to restore order, including
but not limited to ending the public comment period.
E. The time allocated to each individual making a comment shall be three minutes unless otherwise set by the presiding officer under Subsection
D(3). Additional public comment may be granted at the discretion of the presiding officer at the conclusion of the meeting.
F. All statements shall be directed to the presiding
officer; no participant may directly address or question Board members,
or Township staff without permission of the presiding officer. The
presiding officer may direct/suggest a Board member or Township staff
member assist in providing answer(s) to specific question whenever
practical.
G. The presiding officer may recognize and permit, in
his or her discretion, nonresidents and nontaxpayers of the Township
to make public comment.
H. In the event there is insufficient time for public
comment, the presiding officer may defer the public comment period
to a meeting that will be held in advance of the next regular meeting.
The date and time will be set by the presiding officer and will be
advertised by the Township Secretary.
No cameras will be permitted, unless specifically
permitted by the Board of Supervisors. Supplemental lighting for television,
motion-picture cameras, or like devices shall be used only with the
exercise of reasonable discretion as determined by the Board of Supervisors
with regard to the intensity and duration of such lighting and with
a view to creating the least amount of interference with or disturbance
of the proceedings and the least amount of discomfort to members of
the public in attendance.
Cell phones, pagers or other similar devices
shall be turned off during the meeting.
No one other than a member of a law enforcement
agency or department shall be permitted to bring firearms into the
meeting.
The Board of Supervisors, or appointed individual,
shall have the authority to determine whether the intensity and/or
duration of supplemental lighting is such that it disturbs the proceedings
and upon making such a determination, may require that the use of
such lighting be discontinued.
The Board of Supervisors of the Township of
East Brandywine authorizes the governing of regular or special meetings
in the preceding manner.