New rule for public comment at Fulton County meetings

Starting today the Fulton County Board of Commissioners has some new rules for people who want to speak during the public comment period of its meetings.

As in the past, each speaker will get two minutes to speak their mind. But under the new rules, speakers won’t be allowed to yield their time to someone else – a practice that has allowed some speakers to talk for far longer than their allotted two minutes.

At the same time, the period of time set aside for public comment during meetings will be expanded from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. The commission routinely waives the time limit, and comment can last well over an hour at some meetings.