For the past few meetings of the Alpena County Board of Commissioners and its committees, the county has scheduled public comment only at the end of the meeting.

It previously allowed public comment near the beginning and at the end of the meeting.

Alpena County County Administrator Jesse Osmer told News staff writer Steve Schulwitz for a recent story that the county would again offer public comment periods twice per meeting.

That’s good.

Elected officials can’t make decisions based on the will of the public alone. Nobody likes to pay more in taxes or fees, for example, but sometimes governments must charge more to continue offering services upon which the public depends.

But elected officials should always consider the will of their constituents when making decisions because government is supposed to represent its people.

But, to do that, elected officials need to hear from the public before making decisions. Offering public comment only at the end of meetings allows the public only to congratulate or complain about a board’s decisions and does not allow the public to participate in the decision-making process as it should. If public comment is offered only once during a meeting, it should be near the top of the agenda.

So we’re glad to hear the county will return to two public comment periods per meeting. Residents need to join the conversation before it’s too late.

The county also recently began requiring residents to fill out cards before they can speak at a meeting. The cards ask residents for their name, address, phone number, and the topic on which they wish to speak.

The Michigan Open Meetings Act allows local governments to dictate the rules of public comment at their meetings and can require residents to identify themselves before they can speak (governments cannot require residents to identify themselves simply to attend the meeting, but can ask for identification as a precondition of addressing the board).

Osmer told Schulwitz the cards allow commissioners to reach out to their constituents for any follow-up to the constituents’ public comment. The cards also allow residents to provide the required information quietly, without having to broadcast their address for the entire room to hear, protecting those who wish to address the board.

We would add that the cards allow the county to ensure the people addressing the board actually are constituents of the board.

We believe the comment cards overall are a good thing and we have no problem with requiring them before public comment.

But some residents might be hesitant to provide their address and phone number to the board and may just want to share their thoughts without providing any information. We hope the board makes room for that, even if it’s outside of a public meeting, so they can hear from all of their constituents and take all of their constituents’ feelings into consideration before making decisions. (THE ALPENA NEWS)