BOCC Ends Call-In Feature for Public Comments

BRADENTON – The Manatee County Commission is bringing an end to citizens’ ability to phone into commission meetings for public comment. Commission Chairman Kevin Van Ostenbridge began Thursday’s land use meeting with the announcement.

Since 2020, the public has been provided with increased accessibility to engagement on commission matters. Published meeting agendas provided information on how a citizen could dial into the meeting via Zoom and "raise their hands" to offer public comment at appropriate times and on items of interest–or to request future agenda items for the board's consideration. The feature was not available during quasi-judicial proceedings due to legal proceedings requiring all commenters to be sworn in before speaking on an item.

Phoning into a meeting has been fairly popular with citizens. Disabilities or other restrictions making it difficult for some to physically appear in chambers, parents caring for young children, a lack of transportation, illness, employment or other obligations have all led to citizens utilizing the call-in method.

The addition of call-in comments also afforded a way for citizens who were unaware an item was to come before the board to share their comments with the commission without needing to have advance notice to plan to appear in person. Often, an agenda is updated the day or evening before a meeting and an item may be added or altered before a citizen has had the opportunity to make arrangements to their schedule to attend the meeting in person. The ability to phone into the meeting with comments helped fill the gap between finalized agendas and public participation.

At the beginning of Thursday’s meeting, Van Ostenbridge explained that it was his understanding the phone-in feature for public comments was only in place as a "holdover" from pandemic procedures that encouraged social distancing.

"This board previously voted to end all COVID-19 restrictions, but somehow this slipped through the cracks," Van Ostenbridge explained. "I am going to exercise my authority as chair to end that feature."

The county attorney present stated that the board’s code and rules and procedures did not require the commission to take call-ins.

No commissioners objected to the chair’s action, and no discussion was taken up by the board as to the value of phone-in public comment or the increased public participation it has spawned. It appeared the change was effective immediately, as no phone-in comments were taken during Thursday's meeting.