Participation in Board of Trustee Meetings

Participation in Board of Trustee Meetings

The Board of Trustees encourages citizens to attend meetings of the Board of Trustees and to present matters for inclusion on the scheduled agenda. Because of the large volume of business which requires Board consideration, the requirements of the Open Meeting Act and to facilitate the orderly conduct of public meetings, the following regulations have been established for citizens requesting to place an item on the published agenda:

Submitting Item for Placement on the Agenda
Any citizen, or representative of a county organization, may request that an item of business pertaining or of interest to the College be placed on the Board agenda for a subsequent meeting. Such request, to be considered must be in writing and addressed with copies sent to both the President of the College and the Secretary to the Board. Matters will be brought to the Board only if they cannot be resolved satisfactorily by the President and his staff. Appropriate channels of communication should first be pursued. Such request must also include:

  1. Name, address, and telephone number of person or persons submitting the request, and the name of the organization or group represented, if any.
  2. Statement of action being requested of the Board and pertinent background information leading to the request.
  3. Statement detailing the prior channels of communication that have been pursued with appointed college officials.

Notification for Hearing
The President shall notify the individual or group of the time and place of the Board Meeting at which the item will appear on the agenda. The President shall place unresolved citizen concerns on the agenda as soon as possible after sufficient time to assemble pertinent data.

Speaking Before the Board on a Requested Agenda Item
When an item is placed on the agenda at the request of an individual citizen or a county organization, the normal rules for audience participation shall be waived. For consideration of this item only the following rules apply:

No person shall speak for more than five minutes unless the time limit is waived by a majority of the Board members present. When a large number of speakers are to be heard, the Board may shorten the time for each speaker. The Board may also by action set a limit on the time and number of persons to be heard on a given subject.

Defamatory or abusive personal remarks are always out of order. The Chairman of the Board may terminate the speaker's privilege of address if, after being called to order, the speaker persists in improper conduct or remarks.

Board Response
The Board may take under consideration any matter brought to its attention, refer it to the administration or counsel for recommendations and will ordinarily take action thereon at its next regular meeting.

Approved by the Board of Trustees
Macomb Community College
May 20, 1969
Revised May 20, 1997
(Reviewed by Office of General Counsel, December 2011)