On a split vote, Mundelein trustees approved a new public commentpolicy at the Village Board meeting Monday that will limit the amount of time a person can speak at village meetings to five minutes.
Mayor Steve Lentz broke the tie with a “yes” vote after the six trustees were split 3-3. All but one trustee argued their opinion, with those in favor of the ordinance saying such restrictions were necessary to make sure all interested in speaking had a chance to do so. Lentz in particular cited examples from the past where some people took up much more time than others.
Previously, Mundelein had no restrictions on the amount of time a member of the public could address the board during the public comments portion of the Village Board meetings.
Villages such as Gurnee, Libertyville and Wauconda have no time restrictions, Mundelein officials said. Eleven other municipalities in the immediate area cap the speaking time at three or five minutes per person.
While Trustee Sol Cabachuela was the first to bring up some people potentially needing translators or issues that could take longer than five minutes to speak on, Trustee Erich Schwenk was the most vocal opponent of the measure. Both he and Cabachuela said they did not understand why the policy was being created.
Schwenk at one point called the policy “horrible.”
“I just was really struggling to understand why we’re trying to implement this because it happens very (rarely),” Cabachuela said.
Those opposed to the limit cited special needs that may exist, including the need to translate if someone’s first language isn’t English, or when five minutes is not enough time to describe certain issues.
While board members in favor of the time limit said there were ways to avoid the issues opponents raised, those who voted against the rule noted that no specific stipulations were included in the ordinance.
The new policy allows the chair of a village meeting to waive the five-minute restriction.
Trustee Kara Lambert was the third vote against the measure, but she did not provide comment on her stance during the meeting.
Those in favor of the policy said they believe the five-minute restriction will give more people the chance to speak. Lentz said there have been examples of people talking for so long that others who were interested in speaking had gotten up and left. Trustee Jenny Ross said that happened to her before at another public meeting.
Ross said studies from nonpartisan organizations who advocate for good governance recommend restrictions on public commentary.
“The time to adopt good governance practices is not when you’re faced with an emotional issue,” Ross said. “It’s when you’re not.”
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Trustee Tim Wilson also voted in favor of the time restriction and listed various other avenues members of the public could take if they had special needs or a topic they felt would go over five minutes. Like other members in favor, he said he thinks it could help increase participation.
“Someone could come in and talk all night,” Wilson said. “I know that’s an exaggeration, but that could happen.”
Trustee Kerston Russell, who voted in favor of the measure, said he and other village trustees were always available to speak to constituents. He suggested that if someone thinks they will need more than five minutes, they should call the board or village.
“I’m free to come visit with you,” Russell said. “I’ll sit and listen to you.”
