After three members of the public were detained at the Tarrant County Commissioners Court last week, officials are proposing new rules of decorum for public speakers
FORT WORTH, Texas — Tarrant County Commissioners are proposing new rules for public speakers after two people were arrested for allegedly disrupting a briefing about jail deaths.
At the Jan. 14 meeting, two men were arrested and one person was detained by Tarrant County Sheriff’s deputies, WFAA previously reported.
Dozens of people signed up to speak at the meeting after commissioners heard a briefing from Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn on the deaths of two inmates in the Tarrant County Jail. The in-custody deaths of Mason Yancy and Vernon Ramsey are two of the nearly 70 people who have died in the Tarrant County Jail since Waybourn was elected Sheriff, as WFAA previously reported.
The new rules would go into effect Feb. 4 if they are approved when the Tarrant County Commissioners meet Jan. 28.
Under the new rules, speakers will be allotted less time to speak if more than 20 speakers are signed up to address the court, according to the proposed policy. If 20 speakers are signed up, every speaker will have two minutes to speak. If 40 speakers are signed up, every speaker will have just one minute to address the court, the policy states.
Public speakers utilizing a translator will have six minutes to address the court, the new rules state.
Speakers are required to submit a public comment form by 5 p.m. the day before the published start time of the commissioners court meeting, according to the new policy. Currently, speakers have until 10 a.m. the day of the meeting to submit a public comment form.
The order in which the speakers are called to address the court may be on a first-come, first-served basis but the final order of speakers is up to the County Judge, the new rules state. When a speaker’s allotted time expires, they must stop speaking. The County Judge or presiding officer may interrupt a speaker at any time, the proposed rules state.
The new rules also establish a list of prohibited behaviors including personal attacks, disruptive behavior and signals of approval or disapproval from the audience, according to the proposed policy. Here is the full list of prohibited behavior, according to the updated policy:
- Personal attacks, impertinent, profane, obscene, or slanderous remarks.
- Threatening, disruptive, or unruly behavior.
- Disruptive remarks or actions of approval or disapproval from the audience, such as feet stomping, snapping, whistling, yelling, clapping, verbal affirmation or rejection, or similar distractions, except that orderly clapping during the Proclamations, Resolutions, and Presentations section of the agenda is permissible.
- Approaching the dais on which the members of the Commissioners Court sit beyond the speaker’s podium or to the immediate left or right of the podium, unless by the invitation of a member of the Commissioners Court.
- Wearing or displaying signs, flags, banners, props, placards, or similar items larger than 8 ½ by 11 inches. This includes items that can be illuminated or be attached to any pole, stick, or other device. This does not include words or symbols on personal apparel, such as shirts, hats, and other standard items of clothing
“The intent of this policy is to ensure the safety of the public, the staff, and members of the Commissioners Court, and to maximize citizen participation, efficiently receive public input, and maintain respectful decorum during each meeting,” the agenda item seeking approval for the policy reads.
Violating the policy could result in members of the public being removed from the court, a temporary ban, cancellation of a speaker’s remaining time, finding a speaker in contempt of Commissioners Court, which is punishable by up to a $25 fine and other criminal charges, the rules state.
