Options for Testifying at City Council Meetings or Providing
Written Testimony
Revised July 2021
SPEAKING
DURING REGULAR 5:00 PM COUNCIL MEETING:
Interested
parties seeking to testify during the regular City Council meeting have the
following options:
- In
accordance with public meeting access provisions, residents may attend the
meeting in person at City Hall.
- All
parties wishing to speak during Council meeting in person or via WebEx must
submit a speaker slip electronically no later than 3:00 p.m. on the day of
the meeting via the Council website at: www.columbus.gov/council/information/online-Speaker-Slip/. For the time being, protocols of the social
distancing guidelines will continue to be enforced within Council Chambers
prohibiting overcrowding, and thus the capacity in Chambers will be
correspondingly reduced. Speakers may be asked to present testimony from the
Council conference room.
- If
speaking via WebEx, the Clerk will forward the WebEx meeting information via
email allowing those parties to attend the meeting electronically. Those planning to testify at a regular
Council meeting must join the WebEx meeting no later than 5:00 pm on the day of
the meeting.
SWORN TESTIMONY AT THE 6:30 PM ZONING
COMMITTEE MEETING OF CITY COUNCIL
Any party
that is presenting testimony to Columbus City Council on a Council Variance is
required to be sworn in prior to giving testimony. In order to accommodate
this, parties will be required to attend the meeting in person or no
later than 6:30 p.m.
All
parties planning to present testimony on a Zoning Committee ordinance must submit
a speaker slip electronically on the day of the meeting via the Council website
at: www.columbus.gov/council/information/online-Speaker-Slip/
no later than 3:00 p.m. on the day of the Council meeting.
SUBMITTING WRITTEN TESTIMONY IN LIEU OF
SPEAKING AT A MEETING:
Any
residents seeking to submit written testimony in favor of or in opposition to
an ordinance are to submit their testimony in writing to the City Clerk no
later than 3:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Testimony should be emailed to [email protected].
with a subject line of “Written testimony re: Ordinance # --- -2021 ”
(Attachments are not to be included)
Written
Testimony can also be mailed in advance to Columbus City Council, Attn: City Clerk Speaker testimony, 90 West Broad
Street, Columbus, Ohio, 43215. Please
include contact information (email preferably) and the ordinance/resolution
number that you wish to address and for which Council meeting.
OTHER WAYS TO CONTACT CITY COUNCIL
MEMBERS:
In lieu of
submitting written testimony or speaking at/for the Council meeting, interested
parties are also encouraged to reach out to Councilmember offices by phone in
advance of council meetings to share concerns or support. Contact information for individual Councilmember
offices can be found at columbus.gov/council/Contact-City-Council/.
**Please
note the Rules for Speaking before City Council posted on the speaker slip.