Denver City Council has added a second public comment period to the council's monthly calendar.
Last year, for the first time, Denver City Council opened up a half hour each month for people to address council members about issues that aren't on the agenda. To accommodate this, City Council starts at 5 p.m. instead of 5:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month.
Starting Monday, Sept. 18, City Council will make the same opportunity available on the third Monday of the month.
As much as this is intended to create more opportunities for public interaction and feedback, this can create confusion, as Bree Davies so aptly described for us, when there's also a public hearing on the council agenda.
Certain items, like rezonings, require a public hearing, while other items get a "courtesy public hearing" at the request of council members -- usually because they're of high public interest. The public hearings can be found at the bottom of the weekly City Council agenda, while the public comment period occurs at 5 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of the month. During this open public comment period, you can talk about anything you want to bring to City Council's attention.
To sign up to speak:
- Email Legislative Services at [email protected]
- Call 720-337-2000
- Stop by Room 451 of the City & County Building, 1437 Bannock St.
The sign-up period opens at noon the Friday before the session and closes at 4 p.m. the day of the session. There's a handy schedule here.
You'll need to provide your first and last name, a point of contact and the topic you wish to address. Each speaker gets three minutes, and council hears from them until the 30 minutes are up. Speaking slots are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.
