Council clerk to allow weekly sign-up for public communications, limits five spots and one appearance per month
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Summary
Council clerk announced that, beginning in December, the council will allow people to sign up for public communication when the agenda is published on Friday for the following week's meeting. The change keeps five spots available and limits each person to one public communication per month; speakers may still testify on specific agenda items.
Portland City Council members discussed and clarified changes to the public-communication sign-up process after multiple residents raised concerns about multi-month wait times to speak.
New sign-up process: Keelan, the council clerk, said staff is planning a change to allow people to sign up for public communication starting when the agenda is published on the Friday before a meeting. "People will be able to sign up for a communication when the agenda is published on Friday. So they'll be able to sign up on Friday for the following week's meeting," Keelan said. The clerk added that five spots will be available each meeting on a first-come, first-served basis.
Limits and clarifications: The clerk said sign-ups will be limited to one public communication per person each month, but individuals may still sign up to speak on particular agenda items. Councilors said the change is intended to reduce a backlog caused after the city moved from weekly to twice‑monthly meetings under the new form of government.
Context and next steps: Councilors said the clerk's office will update the website and email distribution lists to advertise the change. The change is expected to begin in December; staff said the clerk's office will send instructions to the public and update online materials when implementation begins.