Paulding County residents erupt over proposed limits on public comment at commission meetings

County commissioners in one community got an earful from residents after the board proposed reducing when and how long the public could speak at meetings. It got so contentious police had to remove a speaker from the meeting.

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“She needs to be removed,” a Paulding County Commissioner said about speaker Marilyn Sawyer.

“Then go ahead and remove me,” Sawyer shouted back.

And that’s exactly what happened as two Marshals marched Sawyer out of the packed work session Tuesday morning.

Sawyer had one more comment before she left. “I removed you and I’m gonna remove the rest of you,” she said, referring to her plans to find opponents to run against the commissioners she disagreed with.

Sawyer and others who packed the meeting were very vocal about their opposition to proposed changes to the commission’s public participation ordinance. “These changes collectively silence the public,” one speaker said.

The proposal aimed to reduce citizen comments before the board from 5 minutes to 3 minutes. It would limit total public comment to only 30 minutes per meeting.

“It’s a desperate attempt to shut people up,” another speaker said.

It would also restrict residents to 4 public comments per year. The proposal aimed to also restrict comments on items on the agenda to work session only. Citizens could only comment on non-agenda items at regular meetings.

Anyone who wished to speak would have to sign up the Friday before the meeting at noon, instead of by 5 p.m. The proposed ordinance would also extend the chairman’s authority to remove citizens for broad decorum violations.

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Several speakers said it all has to do with the commissioners not wanting to hear about their opposition to data centers. Several people in the audience had no data center shirts and buttons on.

“You been doing the county wrong from day one on the data centers. Now you’re trying to take our speaking time,” a speaker said.

The commissioners said it’s about being efficient. And not having staff accumulate overtime. “That cost is expensive to have them here to be sitting through some of these comments,” City Manager Tabitha Pollard told the audience.

The commissioners considered changes to the proposed ordinance, but there wasn’t a consensus. “That fails for a lack of a second,” City Attorney Jayson Phillips said.

So, the proposed ordinance failed.

Michelle Wolven was ecstatic it didn’t pass.

“Public pressure definitely makes a difference and that’s what we saw today.” she said.

A group has filed a lawsuit to keep data centers out.

There is a moratorium on building them here.

People at this meeting said there will be two new commissioners coming on board in a couple of months. And the commission shouldn’t be making news rules about public participation.

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