COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A divided Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency Board of Health voted on Friday morning in favor of changing the by laws concerning the format for public comment during their monthly meetings.
The board voted 3-2 in favor of changing the amount of time a member of the public can speak from five minutes down to three minutes. They also decided unanimously to add a second public comment period during the meetings.
The change comes after recent meetings featured numerous persons speaking on COVID-19 related issues such as masks and quarantines. One recent contentious Health Board meeting lasted for almost four hours.
Hillsdale County Commissioner Mark Wiley serves on the Health Board’s Program, Policy, & Appeals Committee which recommended the change.
Health Board Chair Kathy Pangle said some people start repeating themselves during the five minutes they are allowed to speak.
But fellow Hillsdale County Commissioner Brent Leininger strongly disagreed.
Branch County Commissioner Tom Matthew wanted to keep the time limit at five minutes.
Pangle, Wiley and Jon Houtz voted yes while Leininger and Matthew voted no. Jared Hoffmaster was absent.
But the Board voted 5-0 to allow for a pair of three minute Public Comment periods in the future. One would be at the start of the meeting with the other near the end. Past meeting agendas had one public comment period prior to board action.
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