Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/203490
CITY COMMISSION PREVIEW The City Commission on Nov. 4 will try to clean up an ordinance regarding alcoholic beverage consumption in public parks. Photo by Norman Schimmel MORE GAB, PRICEY PHONE CALLS, OPEN CONTAINERS AND THE MAYOR'S CRIB NOTES PART OF THE NOV. 4 AGENDA By Stan Zimmerman City Editor "Competence" might be the byword of the Monday, Nov. 4, Sarasota City Commission meeting. The board is poised to adopt new rules for public comment, allow the rehab of a decaying home and consider extending its Street Teams project. Meanwhile, the people who received notice by email of the upcoming meeting and agenda received a sneak peek at how mayors run meetings. resolution making it effective in the City of Sarasota. MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO TALK The new law changes that, letting citizens "pull" consent items themselves and then address them. A person will still need to sign a speaker card, giving his name and address and noting the agenda item about which he wishes to talk. The Florida Legislature this spring changed the rules on public comment. The new procedure was effective as of Oct. 1. A month later, the City Commission will consider a Previously, citizens were not allowed to comment on consent agenda items, the normally routine topics lumped together at the beginning of a meeting and passed with a single motion. A commissioner could "pull" an item off the consent agenda for discussion, but public comment still was not allowed on it.