Chair of county commission in Northern Colorado eliminates public comment at board meetings

Some of the most heated moments at city council and county commission meetings come during public comment.

But in Weld County, the public will no longer be allowed to comment on matters not on the board's agenda.

Board Chair Kevin Ross says residents were talking about issues that had nothing to do with Weld County business -- like immigration -- so he eliminated the public comment portion.

But it hasn't stopped some residents from expressing themselves. Members of Destiny Christian Center in Greeley showed up to a commission meeting wearing tape over their mouths and carrying signs accusing commissioners of silencing them and violating their free speech rights.

Ross made the change without any discussion after the board came under fire a week earlier for killing a resolution that declared Weld County was not a sanctuary county.

Commissioner Lori Saine brought the resolution that failed 3-2, upsetting some residents who spoke out during public comment. They warned of dire consequences if the board did not take action with regard to migrants who have made their way to the county.

After the meeting, Ross sent an email to commissioners saying he was canceling the public comment section going forward. He told CBS News Colorado that his frustration began long before the sanctuary county resolution. He says he supports the resolution's sentiment but voted against it because he didn't think it did anything other than make a statement.

The county attorney said Ross had the authority to eliminate public comment unilaterally, but Saine disagreed, noting it had been in the county charter for 30 years: "If you're going to change the code, we need to have a three-reading process to allow public comment to speak about the removal of public comment."

She tried twice to re-instate it but both attempts failed 4-1.

Ross defended his decision saying the public could still have a voice, as long as it was about a topic on the agenda: "We're just trying to keep the comments here during our business meetings to Weld County business."

Saine says she will continue to make a motion to add public comment at every meeting until she succeeds: "The public is our county business. They're the ones that pay our salaries. It's a pleasure to listen to them, not a burden." 

Shaun Boyd

Shaun Boyd is the Political Reporter at CBS News Colorado. Read her latest reports or check out her bio and send her an email.

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