Speaking Before Council

• Members of the public who wish to make a verbal presentation at the public hearing are encouraged to register in advance.  Members of the public who wish to make a virtual presentation must register in advance. 
• Registration may be done by emailing governanceagendas@parklandcounty.com or calling 780-968-8471 before 4:30 p.m. on the Wednesday before the meeting date.  No late registrations will be accepted.  
• Members of the public who attend in person but are not registered to speak will be given an opportunity to speak after all registered speakers have spoken. 

• Verbal presentations by the public will be limited to 10 minutes.  A countdown clock will be used to assist with managing time.   
• Speakers must identify themselves by first and last name and explain how they are affected by the matter being considered at the public hearing before they begin their presentations. 
• Speakers will only have one opportunity to speak. 
• For virtual verbal presentations, if the connection is lost during the presentation, the County will note the speaker’s time and move to the next speaker.  If the County or speaker are able to reconnect, the speaker will be given their remaining time to conclude their presentation. 

• Members of the public may provide written submissions in advance of the public hearing for consideration.   
• Written submissions must be legible, include the author’s first and last name and include how the author is affected by the matter being considered at the public hearing.  
• Written submissions that are offensive, discriminatory or otherwise inappropriate or do not meet the criteria outlined in these Guidelines may be redacted or returned.   
• All written submissions will be made public as part of the Council agenda.   
• Members of the public who submit a written submission may also make a verbal presentation.  
• Written submissions must be emailed to Parkland County Legislative & Legal Services at governanceagendas@parklandcounty.com before 4:30 p.m. on the Wednesday before the meeting date.  No late submissions will be accepted. 

• Anyone may attend the public hearing virtually via a Microsoft TEAMS meeting link. To obtain the meeting link, send an email requesting the link to governanceagendas@parklandcounty.com or call 780-968-8471 before 4:30 p.m. on the Wednesday before the meeting date. No late registrations will be accepted. The meeting link will be emailed on the Thursday before the meeting date by 4:30 p.m. 
• Anyone attending or participating virtually will require a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone that can access the Microsoft Teams app.  Virtual attendees and participants are responsible for testing their cameras, speakers and microphones prior to the meeting to confirm that they have the means to participate in the public hearing.  The County cannot provide technical support and is not responsible for poor or lost connectivity.  Virtual participants must keep their devices on mute. 
•  Members of the public who attend virtually may not speak unless they have registered in advance. 

• The Chair will declare the public hearing in session. 
• County Administration will present an overview and summary of the matter being considered. 
• The applicant, if any, will be invited to make a presentation.  
• The Chair will call speakers to make presentations in the following order: 

a. Registered in-person speakers; 

 b. Registered virtual speakers; and 

 c. In-person members of the public who did not register to speak.   

• At the conclusion of each speaker’s presentation, Council may ask the speaker questions beyond the 10-minute time limit.   
•  Once all speakers are concluded, the Chair shall invite the applicant to make closing comments, if any. 
• Administration will respond to questions from Council, if any. 
• The Chair will close the public hearing.