How to speak at New Braunfels council or Comal Commissioners Court

If your New Braunfels concern is not on the agenda, use Citizens’ Communications. The city’s posted script says there will be no council action during that period. If you want to address a listed proposal, find it in the agenda and be ready when that item comes up. The agenda separately instructs people wishing to speak on an individual item to line up behind the podium when public comment is recognized. It also says a citizen who wants an item removed from the consent agenda for separate consideration must be present to request that.

At Commissioners Court, look for Citizen Comments under the Workshop Agenda. The county’s Oct. 29 notice expressly includes both public concerns and specific agenda items in that period and limits comments to three minutes per person. It says the court receives the comments but is limited in its ability to respond under the Texas Open Meetings Act. Prepare a short point you can make within that stated time.

At the room and the podium

For the New Braunfels Citizens’ Communications period, the amended agenda asks people wishing to speak to line up behind the podium and be ready. At the podium, state your name and whether you are a New Braunfels resident, a nonresident or someone who lives within the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. For a listed individual item, follow the agenda’s instruction to line up when public comment on that item is recognized. The county notice identifies its Citizen Comments period and time limit; use that posted period as your guide to when comments are taken.

If you plan to show material at the New Braunfels meeting, check the format before you arrive. The amended agenda says the city cannot accept flash drives or electronic files at the podium. It directs speakers to upload digital files through the City Secretary’s online form two hours before the meeting and to use hard copies on the overhead projector for council viewing. The agenda does not print a direct link to that form, so the City Secretary’s Office is the place to ask for the correct route. Its number on the agenda is 830-221-4010.

Check the agenda before you leave

Read the exact posted item you care about, along with the public-comment instructions near the front of the agenda. The city’s Oct. 26 document is marked amended Oct. 20, so use that version for its meeting instructions. The county’s Oct. 29 notice points readers to the county website for agenda postings. These documents establish how the two upcoming meetings are organized; check the agenda for any later meeting you plan to attend rather than carrying these dates forward.

For meeting-location or accessibility questions, the county’s Commissioners Court page lists its office at 830-221-1100. The Oct. 29 agenda asks people who may need auxiliary aids or services to contact the Commissioners Court Office at 221-1107 at least two days before that meeting. The city’s agenda asks people who may need such services to call the City Secretary’s Office at 830-221-4010 at least two workdays before its meeting. Those official pages provide the current contact details to check as you plan your visit.