Attendance at the February 25 County Board meeting will be critical to getting our message heard. But beyond attendance, those willing to comment at the meeting will have an even greater impact.
The following tips can help make speaking at the Board meeting easier and ensure your comments are as effective as possible.
- At the Board meeting, locate the signup sheet and write your name down so that you can speak at the time public comment is allowed.
- Speak into the microphone, but address your comments to the board members, rather than to the gathered audience. When you make eye contact, make eye contact with the board members.
- Share your name and address at the beginning of your comments.
- Prepare your comments in advance to ensure you stay on point. The board members can grow impatient quickly. Feel free to take messaging points from this website to draft your comments.
- Outline your concerns about the development in a letter to the Board. Write: “Zoning Petition Z19-062 Trillium Company” at the top of your letter. It’s fine to read your letter as your statement, you do not need to memorize it or speak impromptu.
- It is not necessary to make a lengthy statement. A short, simple message can be very effective. The most important thing is for the board members to see and hear that many of their voters are concerned about this development.
- Talk about how approval of the development will personally affect you, which can help the Board members understand and relate to your concerns.
- Speak slowly. We often speed up our rate of speech if we’re uncomfortable with public speaking. But your message will have more impact if you are able to maintain a standard rate of speech.
- At the close of your comments, sincerely thank the board members for their time and consideration to this important issue.
- Remember, the overwhelming majority of meeting attendees will be supporting your every word. Try not to be nervous, you’ll have a great deal of support and friendly faces in the group.
- When you have finished speaking, hand the Board members a copy of your letter and request that it be made part of the record of the meeting.
Note: It is true that the comments you share at the Board meeting are recorded and become part of the record. But it is unclear to what extent the Board members review the transcript of the meeting before making decisions. Hard copy submissions of your comments have a greater likelihood of standing out as Board members review the application.
Stop Pulte Homes' Trillium Farm 