Salt Lake County Council members are preparing to offer a new call-in option to members of the public who are not able to personally attend the regularly scheduled Tuesday Council meetings.
Every Council meeting includes the opportunity for in-person public comments at the beginning of Committee of the Whole meeting and the regular 4 p.m. Council meeting, but will now include the opportunity for citizens to comment by phone.
“This gives the public a new and convenient way to share their opinions with us, their public servants,” said Councilman Richard Snelgrove. “With this change, our meetings will be more open and transparent.”
“More public input is a good thing,” said Councilman Jim Bradley. “We hope the public takes advantage of this.”
According to Snelgrove and Bradley, the new citizen phone call feature is the first of its kind for local government in Utah. Both agree it will help the Council be more in touch with constituents on local issues.
The councilmen first introduced the concept last October. Council staff has been working on the technical and procedural details and the County Council has now voted to implement the process.
The citizen comment period is at the beginning of every Committee of the Whole meeting and every Council meeting. Citizens may share their thoughts and opinions on any topic, in-person or on the phone, for up to three minutes. Agendas for the meetings can be found on the Council’s website at www.slco.org/council. A link to the agendas and minutes can be found on the left-hand side of the page.
