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Minn. Stat. § 412.191, subd. 2. This allows the city the opportunity to gather all the facts and make a measured and fair response. You can find a sample Summary of Rules for Public Comment in Appendix C of this memo for your city to use. While many councils recognize the value of citizen input, citizen comment can negatively affect meeting efficiency if not managed. For example, if a large number of audience members wish to speak, the meeting may not progress efficiently. Likewise, if one person spends a long time expressing their view, others may not get the opportunity to present their views. The following sections discuss ways to address some of these problems. 1. Limiting time Some councils have addressed this problem by placing a limit on the amount of time audience members are allowed to speak at a meeting. For example, the council may ask people to limit their remarks to no more than three minutes or allow only a specified amount of time for the whole comment period. Time limits should be adopted in a policy, applied equally and neutrally to all members of the public, and practiced consistently at every meeting. 2. Limiting topic Another option may be to limit the scope of comments to those matters being addressed by the council at the specific meeting. While this may be a way to focus the meeting on the matters being addressed by the council, it might also keep people from making the council aware of any new issues. Cities considering this approach may want to consider other ways for people to bring up other topics. Limits on topic should also be adopted in a policy and applied equally and neutrally to all members of the public. 3. Advance written notice As a third alternative, cities may choose to adopt policies that require advance notice of a person's desire to address council. The notice usually must be submitted in writing a few days before the actual meeting. The specific topic and the speaker's name are then put on the agenda. Such procedures are helpful in allowing the council to plan an efficient meeting. It also helps to remind the speaker that they may only address those issues listed on the notice. B. Meeting disruptions and unruly citizens A statutory city council is authorized to preserve order at its meetings. The mayor, as the presiding officer, is also vested with some authority to prevent disturbances. Home rule charter cities may have similar provisions in their charters. Minnesota Mayors Association Chapter 1-20