Interesting Court decisions regarding public comments and meeting agendas. We have these same issues in New York.
Both turn on public comment rules and agenda notice. A federal appeals court threw out a city council policy that barred “personal, impertinent or slanderous” remarks and speech off the agenda, finding it let the council decide what was acceptable at its whim. Separately, the Illinois Public Access Counselor found that an agenda item reading only “Approval of Supervisor’s Report” failed to warn the public that the board was about to create five new jobs.
New York boards do both of these things: decorum rules stretched to remove people who say something unwelcome, and agenda lines too vague to tell you what is about to be voted on.
Read the analysis: Recent Open Meetings Act Related Decisions on Public Comment and Agendas — Franczek P.C. on JD Supra, August 6, 2026.
Our Open Meetings Law guide covers what New York requires on agendas and public comment.
