Public Comments

Public Comments 

Public comments may be sent to City Council via email: council@cityoflaramie.org anytime or brought in to the City Clerk's Office for distribution.

Public Comment rules are contained with the City Council Rules of Procedure- Resolution 2025-42

CHAPTER 4.  Council Conduct with the Public

 4.01.  Public Meetings

Making the public feel welcome is an important part of the democratic process. Handouts for the public on council meeting procedures, and guidelines for addressing city council, are outlined in Appendix B and C and shall be followed at all times. Recognizing that the actions of each council member impact the public perception of the whole council, council members shall strive to treat the public with respect.

4.02. Public Comments 

4.02(A). Time for public comment during meetings. There shall be public comments permitted when members of the public are recognized by the Mayor at the following times:

Regular meetings:

1. During any public hearing on the agenda.

2. Before any substantive action by Council on a regular agenda item, for comments on that agenda item.

3. For comments on matters not on the agenda, as a regular agenda item at or near the beginning, with an aggregate time limit of 30 minutes, and end of the meeting.

4. Public comments on non-agenda related items at the beginning of the meeting may only be taken in person at the physical location of the meeting. All other comments may be emailed to Council at council@cityoflaramie.org or sent in writing to the City Clerk at 406 Ivinson Ave, Laramie, WY.

Work sessions:

1. As a regular agenda item, following the opening of the work session, for comments on matters not on the agenda for a maximum of 30 minutes.

2. As a regular agenda item a public comment period at the end of each work session agenda item. 

Special Meetings:

Special meetings may be called from time to time specifically to solicit public comments or for other purposes. The Mayor has the discretion to organize such special meetings to allow public comment and council discussion. 

5th Tuesday Open House Meetings:

1. Public comment shall be limited to 3-5 minutes, determined by Council depending on attendance. 

4.02(B) General rules

General rules involving public comment include:

1. Members of council may not participate as members of the public in public comment periods.

2. Each member of the public may only speak once in any given public comment period, and is limited to three minutes for his/her public comment. In situations where unusually large numbers of people wish to speak, the Mayor has discretion to limit public comments to less than three minutes to insure everyone has a chance to speak.

3. When attending a meeting remotely, the public must have their video cameras enabled and turned on when addressing the council. See rule 1.F.

4.  A speaker may not defer the speaker’s time to other speakers.

5. When commenting on agenda items, the comments must be germane to the agenda item.

6. When commenting on non-agenda items, the comments must be germane to City business over which Council has control.

7. Without limiting any other guideline, speakers may not use public comment for political campaigning or commercial advertising, nor use threatening, obscene, or defamatory language or make personal attacks. 

8. Council shall take care not to debate issues with members of the public but, if items need to addressed, direction can be given to City staff to do so.

9. Council shall not personally attack the public, nor may any member of the public personally attack or insult councilors, City staff, or other members of the public.

4.03. Disruption of Public Meetings 

 4.03(A). No attendee or speaker at any council meeting may impede the orderly conduct of the meeting by, including but not limited to, making threats, using obscene language, making personal attacks, engaging in indecent or threatening behavior or violent actions, or engaging in loud or disruptive behavior, or violate rules governing council meetings. The mayor may order the expulsion from the meeting of any person engaging in such behavior, which order may be appealed by any member of Council according to council’s normal rules.

 4.03(B). To observe the order and decorum of city council meetings, the volume on all electronic devices including but not limited to cellular telephones, pagers or computers should be turned off or set to vibrate. 

 4.04. Written Public Comment 

Interested parties, or their authorized representatives, may address the council through written communication with regard to any matter concerning city business or over which the council has control, or by addressing the city clerk, who shall distribute the written communication to council members.  Written communication may also be submitted to the city council through electronic correspondence at council@cityoflaramie.org. Written comments are part of public records.

4.05.  Unofficial Settings

It is also appropriate that council members recognize that as elected officials their conversations when out in public will be overheard. Members of the council should take care to be aware of what they say in public, and to differentiate between personal opinion and the opinion of council as a whole, whether in private or public conversations. This also pertains to any social media posts made by Council members.

These guidelines shall be modified and adopted by a majority of council as needed.