Open public comment time no longer on Providence council agenda

By Taylor Scott

April 14, 2006 | PROVIDENCE -- Under the advice of Craig Bott, attorney from the Utah Local Government Trust, the public comment portion of Providence City Council meetings has been removed from agendas as of March 11, says Mayor Randy Simmons.

"We need to have a strict distinction between public hearings and public meetings, and a public comment session is one that doesn't and cannot be part of the public meeting, so we no longer have that on the agenda but we do have a public hearing," said Simmons.

During a public hearing specific issues will be presented on the agenda by the mayor or council members and residents of Providence will be allowed the opportunity to speak on those topics, whereas during a public comment session residents are allowed to speak on any issue.

This decision comes only two weeks after one upset resident voiced her strong opinion of Simmons during the full 20-minute public comment session of the city council meeting.

After all was said Simmons called for a motion to open the public hearing to allow residents present to voice opinions or concerns about the final proposed three-lot residential subdivision for South Bench Estates located at 1000 S. 400 East, the motion passed. Of the almost 40 people present, only one, Skarlet Bankhead, spoke up to mention she lived in the general location of lot 3 in the subdivision.

Bankhead, who is also the city clerk, said public hearings will only be present in the specific meetings with items the council seeks opinion from the residents on and residents will no longer see the public comment sessions.

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