Citizens to be able to make their comments earlier at Swift County board meetings

By Reed Anfinson

At each public meeting of the Swift County Board of Commissioners a time is set aside for citizens to comment on issues that are not part of the regular agenda. Both the Benson City Council and the District 777 Board of Education also set aside time for citizen comments.

Comments are limited to three minutes, though at times the board lets a person speak a little longer.

Traditionally, citizens have spoken after the county approves its agenda for the meeting, approves the consent agenda, hears commissioner committee reports, and hears from the county administrator.

Last month the board decided to change when it will take citizen comments, moving them to the front of the meeting.

Citizen comments could be moved to before the agenda is adopted so that if there is an issue that comes up that should be addressed, it can be added to the approved agenda, Administrator Tesa Tomaschett told commissioners last month.

It is also more respectful of a citizen’s time, so they are not sitting through a lot of other stuff, she said.

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