Public Comment Periods

Governing bodies (as defined in the Open Meetings Act) are required to reserve a period of time for public comment to provide the public with the opportunity to comment on matters that are germane to the items on the agenda for the meeting. Governing bodies are authorized to put reasonable restrictions on the period for public comment, such as the length of the period, the number of speakers, and the length of time that each speaker will be allowed to provide comment. Governing bodies are also authorized to require a person to give notice in advance of their desire to offer comments at a meeting. The law directs governing bodies to take all practicable steps to ensure that opposing viewpoints are represented fairly, if any.

Notices for a public meeting must include instructions on how a person may indicate their desire to provide public comment at the meeting.

There are two exceptions to the public comment requirement: (1) A meeting of a governing body, or a portion thereof, where the governing body is conducting a disciplinary hearing for a member of the governing body or a person whose profession or activities fall within the jurisdiction of the governing body; or (2) A meeting for which there are no actionable items on the agenda.  T.C.A. § 8-44-112.