In this city of Miami case, the court found 8 minutes per side was not reasonable for presentations. What does this decision mean for hearings before the County? What does this mean for the future of public hearings on zoning issues? It seems to me that two or three minutes is unreasonable and that is all we ever have. As the April 24th County Commission meeting approaches on 3 applications to move the Urban Development Boundary, this seems like a good time to hash this out. What is "reasonable" to you? (Hit on Image to enlarge it).Type the rest of the post here
5 comments:
I think 5 minutes is reasonable, and I also think someone should be able to give another person their time.
It seems the developers always get at least 20 minutes and are generall allowed to run 20 minutes over. It's a shame that the public's concerns are not so accomodated. I especially love it when they roll their eyes or start conversing with eachother during public comment. Democracy my %^&!!!
Actually, the rule is that the applicant has to be given time to present its case, and prove that there is substantial competent evidence to approve the subject application. If there is an organized opposition, that opposition is given the same amount of time to respond as the applicant took to present its case. Members of the public are limited to 2 minutes, either for or against.
the point is: Maybe THE RULE is not fair.
The lawyers get rebuttal on top of their time. The system is slanted against the average joe and then the typically disordered, messy and repetitive testimony from the public favors the lobbyists too.
The best chance the public has is to organize their presentation. The last UDB round was done that way with each presenter addressing a different issue. Also people need to find time to meet with Commissioners before the hearing. You can't do that if it is a zoning case, but all the UDB stuff is not restricted like zoning.
Post a Comment