Agenda item 7 on the agenda for the upcoming SacRT board meeting (Monday, February 26, 2018, 5:30PM, 1400 29th St) proposes to reduce the length of public comments from 3 minutes to 2 minutes, to set a limit per person of 8 minutes per meeting, and to require that comment cards be submitted before the item comes up on the agenda. The result would be reduced public input to the board, and reduced transparency. For some agenda items, it isn’t even clear what the topic is about until the presentation and discussion start, so the requirement for a comment card beforehand would cut off legitimate comment in reaction to the presentation or discussion.

STAR has taken this position in opposition:

1. The proposed changes to public comment are so significant that they should not be on the consent agenda. We ask that item 7, “Amend and Restate Title III of the Sacramento Regional Transit District Administrative Code” be removed from the consent agenda.
2. Any reduction in the ability of the public to participate in board meetings and the governance of SacRT must be rejected. The goal of SacRT should be to increase public participation and transparency, not to reduce it. The proposed changes should be rejected.

We hope that many people will come to this board meeting to support removing the item from the consent agenda, and then objecting to the change when the item comes up for discussion.

• SacRT