Details still need to be finalized, but the mayor and city council voted unanimously to allow residents to speak up at city council meetings on any subject, not just on agenda items

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

A year ago, Vancouver City Councilor Bart Hansen told Clark County Today that if he had it his way, the council would go back to the original citizens comment format, allowing citizens to speak about any topic.

Well, details have to be ironed out, and it might not be exactly what it used to be, but public comment on any subject is coming back to Vancouver City Council meetings, most likely in 2026.

“You know, I’m a big fan of somebody coming down to City Hall,” Hansen said at Monday night’s council meeting, with the councilors and city staff discussing meeting dates and formats for 2026. 

At first, the councilors were discussing whether to keep the quarterly community forums, or perhaps add open public comment once or twice a month at regular meetings.

Then Hansen gave his thoughts.

“I’m a fan of three minutes at every regular and consent meeting,” Hansen said, noting that he wanted to make things less confusing for Joe. Q. Public. 

Open public comment every meeting is clear as day.

“I am a fan of people coming down here and not fully needing to know what day to come down here,” he said.

All anyone needs to know is what day and time is the city council meeting.

For roughly three years now, citizens have been required to speak only on the topic of agenda items of a specific meeting. For a couple of years now, the council has had quarterly community forums, many of them out and about in places throughout the city. Anything was open for discussion at those forums.

It turns out, those community forums will continue. But folks will not have to wait for them anymore.

Hansen said it is important for residents to be heard, especially if they take the time to come to City Hall on a Monday night to tell the council how they feel about something. It could be a request for a new stop sign at an intersection, for example.

“Folks think they can’t talk to us,” Hansen told Clark County Today in November of 2024. 

Years ago, open public comment was available. A change was made, in part, due to habitual speakers who often used their three minutes on the same exact topic at every meeting. Some of them also became belligerent toward council members and staff. 

Hansen hopes that behavior will not return. He does not want any reasons for the council to return to agenda-item issues only.

On Monday, Councilor Kim Harless said she, too, is for open public comment at every meeting. She also hopes that all who do speak up or speak out feel safe and would want to come back to do it again.

That is Hansen’s goal, as well

“As long as they can be courteous and respectful, let them have their three minutes,” Hansen said in 2024.

Starting in 2026, people will get their three minutes. However, it is still to be determined when they will be able to talk at the council meetings. In the past, it would be during public comment toward the beginning of each meeting. 

Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle said Monday that it is her intention that public comment for agenda items will be heard near the beginning of meetings. Public comment on other subjects would be toward the end of each meeting. 

Hansen said he would have preferred the old way, with all public comment at the same time, early in the meeting.

“This is still an improvement,” he added.

All six councilors and the mayor voted in favor of returning to open public comment at all meetings in 2026.

They also voted unanimously to continue with four community forums throughout the year. The goal is to have those at other venues besides City Hall.

“I think it’s imperative that we give folks an opportunity to meet us some place other than here,” Councilor Erik Paulsen said. “I think it’s important we be approachable and be available.”

“I want to make sure we are going out to the community,” added Councilor Ty Stober.

Councilor Diana Perez suggested a community forum that was intentionally focused on a town hall for residents under the age of 25, an outreach to the younger generation.

City staff noted it would take all ideas under advisement on how to approach the community forums in 2026. 

For a bit more history on this development, see Clark County Today’s story from November of 2024: https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/is-it-getting-more-difficult-to-talk-to-city-officials-in-vancouver/