What took us so long to do this?
CM Alejandra Salinas
Houston City Council unanimously approved a proposal Wednesday letting residents sign up online to speak during public comment sessions, a change supporters say will make speaking at City Hall more accessible and easier to navigate for working residents.
The measure, introduced by Council Member Alejandra Salinas through the city’s Proposition A process, amends the city’s rules to allow residents to register to speak through an online form. Previously, requests to speak before council could only be made in person or by mail, email, fax or telephone.
Although the final form will be determined by the city secretary, the online system is expected to include a resident’s name, address, contact information, reason for speaking, which council meeting they want to attend, whether they are speaking on a specific agenda item or non-agenda topic and how much time they are requesting to speak, according to Salinas’ office.
“This is a much needed improvement to our sign-up process allowing folks to sign up online to participate at City Hall,” Salinas said. “I think this is a great continuation of the work that Council has already been doing to make City Hall more accessible by having evening meetings, and I hope there are more initiatives like this that we can push forward.”
The online sign-up proposal was also backed by Council Members Tarsha Jackson, Julian Ramirez, Mario Castillo and Sallie Alcorn.
Brilliant. And about time. Kudos to all for doing it, and especially to CM Salinas, who has more than made her mark so far.