Rehoboth to allow more public comment

Beginning Wednesday, April 24, the public will be allowed to comment as agenda items come up during Rehoboth Beach commissioner meetings.

For the past few years, the public has been allowed to comment on agenda items, but only at the beginning of meetings.

Commissioner Stan Mills asked for the subject of public comment to be included on the April 8 workshop agenda. The value of the input from the public is worth the extra hour it takes, Mills said.

“I’ve been dissatisfied with the management of public input for quite a while now,” said Mills.

Mills read a public comment notice from a Jan. 6, 2014, meeting to show how workshops and meetings used to be run, and how he would like them to be run in the future.

“Citizen comment regarding old business, new business and committee reports will be heard during each agenda topic after initial discussion by the Commissioners at the discretion of the chair. Speakers shall state their name and address; comments are limited to three minutes or at the discretion of the chair. Comments on nonagenda items will be heard under "Citizen Comment.”

Mayor Paul Kuhns, who changed public comment after his election, said workshops have been set up primarily as a time for commissioners to complete work. He said he thought three minutes for public comment was standard.

“When we go through workshops, it’s our meeting to discuss information to put out to the public, who is here or on the screen, and if there are any questions, my assumption was, they were either going to address us personally, which they should do, or come to the next meeting,” said Kuhns.  

All other commissioners agreed more public comment was better than less.

Commissioner Lisa Schlosser said she had no objection to allowing the public to speak after each agenda item.

“I can’t see a downside to getting more public feedback on these items,” she said.

Commissioner Pat Coluzzi said she agreed, but cautioned that things can spiral out of control if time limitations are enforced.

Commissioner Toni Sharp said she knows what’s going on right now doesn’t work.

“It’s creating lots of tension with the public when I don’t believe there needs to be a lot of tension,” she said.

At the end of the discussion, after listening to his fellow commissioners, Kuhns said he would work with city Secretary Ann Womack to include the old public comment wording for the next commissioner meeting.