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City leaders poised to add a slot for public comment ahead of Thursday Lexington council votes

GTV3

Lexington residents would get a chance to speak ahead of final votes at Thursday council meetings under a proposed rule change. The idea cleared its first major hurdle Tuesday.

As the system stands, concerned citizens can sign up to address the council during Tuesday work sessions, where the body hears presentations, hashes out decisions, and sets the list of items to be voted on on Thursday.

But at those Thursday meetings, all public comment is relegated to the end of the meeting.

The proposal that won a 10-4 vote this week would give speakers a chance to address items on the agenda ahead of the Thursday vote as well.

Councilwoman Shayla Lynch argued the additional comment period makes sense.

"Our neighbors may not know our e-mail address. They may not know our phone number. But they know they can come down here and speak, and we're we're a sitting audience to listen. And so I think it's important that we have this option available at the top of the agenda for council meetings as well," she said.

Yet others on council worried about timing, interrupting the flow of business, and setting up false expectations that public comment right before a final vote is likely to change the outcome of long-debated matters.

Councilman James Brown praised the value of public comment, but noted that it takes place at numerous stops during the policy making process. By Thursday night, the sense is that the debate is all but over.

"There's a lot of opportunity for input along the process. I think we share and communicate that," Brown said. "We receive it and about the time it's getting the reading is pretty much done anyway."

If granted final approval, the additional public comment slot would apply only to items on the agenda for those particular meetings.

Josh James fell in love with college radio at Western Kentucky University's student station, New Rock 92 (now Revolution 91.7). After working as a DJ and program director, he knew he wanted to come home to Lexington and try his hand in public radio.