After coming under fire for excluding public comment at the Town’s meetings on the Zoom platform, Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey has announced that under the new operating procedures citizens will have a chance to participate in the town’s decisions prior to the making of any decision by phoning in. Guidance is provided on the town’s website about how to make public comment over the telephone.
The public may also make written comment by submitting a “Real-time Public Comment Form.” Each meeting agenda contains a link to the public comment form on the Town’s website for that specific meeting. Comments submitted through the form are automatically sent by email to the governing body of that meeting (Town Council or board members).
Written comment may also be submitted by email. In the announcement it states that emails can be sent to publiccomment@townofstevensville.com in advance of, or during, any meeting. Comments sent to this email address are forwarded to the appropriate governing body by the Town Clerk. Please note the meeting you are providing comment for in your email.
The mayor’s announcement goes on to state that these electronic public comments submitted in writing through the options listed will be uploaded to the Town’s website daily. Comments will then be uploaded to the corresponding meeting page on the town’s website and can be accessed by visiting www.townofstevensville.com/meetings and clicking “View Details” next to the meeting you wish to see the comments for.
Comments provided in writing in advance of the meeting will be uploaded prior to the meeting. However, comments submitted in writing during the meeting will be uploaded immediately following the meeting and not used in the decision-making process.
The mayor states that, “All methods of providing public comment are designed to ensure residents are afforded the opportunity to participate in, and observe, the affairs of their local government and have been reviewed by the City Attorney to ensure compliance with Montana’s open meeting laws and the public’s right to participate” and that “the Town relies on guidance from the Montana Attorney General and the Montana League of Cities and Towns in establishing procedures and methods for public participation during the COVID-19 pandemic.”