Public Comment Guidelines 

Welcome! Your Kitsap County Board of Commissioners thanks you for attending this meeting and we look forward to hearing from you. We hope that you find these guidelines useful and helpful. 

At every regular board meeting, we offer two opportunities for public comment; one on regular business agenda - including consent agenda and one on general matters; regular business agenda - including consent agenda near the beginning and genral matters at the end of the meeting. As you prepare to share your comments, please follow these guidelines to help make your presentation and the meeting as productive and constructive as possible. 

To ensure common courtesy, decorum, respect for others and the timely conduct of business, we respectfully ask that you follow these basic guidelines: 

·         Please sign up to speak on the public comment sheet prior to the meeting

·         Please keep your comments concise as possible – under two minutes or as indicated on the agenda – and try not to repeat comments that have been previously stated

·         For the record, please state your name and if you’re representing a group or organization

·         To respect everyone and all points of view, please avoid personal attacks and refrain from either applause or jeers

·         Check the agenda to make sure your item or issue of interest is listed (if not, check with the board clerk to see if it’s been rescheduled to another meeting, or if you should speak during general comments)

·         You may only speak once on a specific agenda item. It is helpful to state your support or opposition for a particular proposed course of action at the beginning and explain why

·         You are welcome to leave any written comments or other documents for the board’s consideration

Procedures and policies

·         All agendas are subject to change prior to – and even during – a meeting

·         The chair of the board will determine the order of speakers

·         At the discretion of the chair of the board, more and/or less time for public comment may be permitted 

·         Every effort will be made to post meeting agendas on the county’s website –www.kitsapgov.com – at least three days in advance of a regular meeting 

·         For agendas posted on the county website, the county will strive to include links to the draft resolutions, motions, ordinances and other related documents to be considered by the board

·         All written comments, sign up sheets, meeting minutes and all other material presented at a board meeting are considered public documents in compliance with open meeting and public record laws. All public documents will be available to the general public. Meetings are also recorded for the public record by Bremerton-Kitsap Access Television (BKAT) and are regularly aired on local cable access channels.

·         Written comments and documents may be submitted prior to, during or after the board meeting. Please identify the agenda item or topic for which you are providing comments and include your name, address and phone number.

Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners

614 Division Street, MS-4

Port Orchard, WA 98366

E-mail: ddaniels@kitsap.gov

Phone: 360-337-4667

Fax: 360-337-4632

·         Kitsap County supports full accessibility for all – If special accommodations are needed to testify before the board, please call the board’s office at (360) 337-7080 no later than the morning of the meeting

Tips for an effective presentation

According to The Book of Lists, for most people their number one fear is not death, sickness, heights, snakes or being interviewed by 60 Minutes – but public speaking.

Whether this is your first time speaking before a crowd or you’re an old pro, it’s always a good idea to simply practice reading out loud what you want to say. You may find that written statements sound different when read out loud, and some longer sentences may sound better shorter – and you’ll have a good idea if your oral comments fall under three minutes.

It’s very helpful for the board if you would express your concerns then suggest ideas, solutions and exactly what you would like to see done to address your concerns.

Become familiar with the agenda item or issue. Reports and agenda summaries can be inspected in the board’s office prior to the meeting, on-line and during the meeting copies will be in the lobby of the Administration Building. Staff may also be around to answer questions, and the agenda summary usually provides a staff contact.

Nothing in these Public Comment Guidelines, or their application to any person or circumstance, is intended to affect a positive duty for public comment or testimony contained in any law, regulation, ordinance or rule.