Public Comment Policy
Approved by the Centre County Library & Historical Museum Board of Trustees on December 7, 2023.
Statement:
The Centre County Library and Historical Museum Board of Trustees (The Board) encourages community engagement and welcomes public comment on issues before the Board. All meetings are open to the public.
Purpose:
The Public Comment policy is to provide fair and reasonable opportunities for members of the public to present their views while allowing the Board to conduct its meetings in an efficient and effective manner. This policy applies to the Board’s regularly scheduled meetings and any other special meetings as called by the President. The public comment period is a time for the Board to listen to members of the public regarding library services and operations. In the interest of time, the Board may not interact or engage in dialogue with speakers during the public comment period.
Procedure:
Each speaker shall be limited to 3 minutes unless otherwise provided by the Board president or meeting chair.
The Board president or meeting chair may reduce the 3-minute time limit if the comment period exceeds 30 minutes.
Each speaker must provide his/her name, address and any group affiliation. Groups wishing to comment must select one representative to act as the designated spokesperson.
All comments must be made with civility and courtesy. The Board president or meeting chair may limit or prohibit further comment if proper decorum is not displayed.
Matters brought before the Board will be taken under advisement to allow time for due deliberation. Actions on such matters will not be taken at the time of presentation.
Public comments and questions may also be submitted to the board in writing, for consideration at their next meeting.
All comments made become part of the meeting record and the Board minutes will reflect the name of any speakers and the substance of any comments. Any materials presented to the Board during the Public Comment session will be included in the Library’s files but will not be part of the minutes.
