Public comment policy approved for Hampton council meetings

The Hampton City Council voted at its Jan. 14 regular meeting to alter public comment regulations for meetings.

According to the text of the ordinance which passed its second reading, public comment will be recognized twice in each council meeting. The first comment period will be 30 minutes and only for items on that meeting’s agenda. The mayor or mayor pro tem will have the authority to extend that period by up to 15 minutes.

The second comment period will be 15 minutes total with comments allowed for any topic. Each citizen will be allowed a maximum of three minutes to speak during either period.