Alpharetta Sets Rules, Guidelines for Crowd Expected at Monday's City Council Meeting

As many of you are aware, the public hearing agenda for Monday, December 19 has received a fair amount of attention, and we are anticipating an above average assembly for that evening.  As such, the Mayor has directed that we open our overflow location (PAL gym) and implement procedures that have proven useful in previous similar instances.  These procedures affect mainly case MP-11-03/CU-11-01 Windward MP Amend/Amana Academy, the final item on the agenda, which is the hearing item that is generating the most attention.  I would like to take a moment to provide an overview of the plan.

Facilities:

Seating capacity in the main Council Chambers is limited by Fire Code.  The City has prepared an overflow location (the PAL gym located behind ) where those who cannot be accommodated in the Council Chambers can wait and hear the proceedings.  For case MP-11-03/CU-11-01 Windward MP Amend/Amana Academy, available seating in the Council Chamber will be divided evenly between those present in support and those present in opposition to the application.

Tickets:

For case MP-11-03/CU-11-01 Windward MP Amend/Amana Academy, available seating in the Council Chamber will be divided evenly between those present in support and those present in opposition to the application.  A corresponding number of color coded tickets for each side of the case will be distributed by City staff at the door on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 6:00 PM.  Every member of the public, regardless of age, must have a ticket in order to be seated in the Council Chambers.  We ask that those members of the public who do not wish to speak before Council on this case not request a ticket.  This will help us to ensure that all members of the public who wish to speak on this case have the opportunity to be heard.

As each member of the public has her/his opportunity to speak, we ask that they step out of the Council Chambers, turn-in their ticket to City staff, and move to the overflow facility.  City staff will then call forward the next speaker representing the corresponding position (for or against) from the overflow area so that they may be seated and await their opportunity to speak.  This process will continue until the conclusion of the public hearing.

Schedule:

6:00 PM

City staff will begin issuing color-coded tickets for those members of the public who wish to participate in the public hearing for MP-11-03/CU-11-01 Windward MP Amend/Amana Academy.

The overflow location (PAL gym located behind City Hall) opens.

6:30 PM

A special reception honoring Mayor Arthur Letchas and Council Members Oakes and Paine for their service to the citizens of Alpharetta will begin.  This event is being held in the Council Chambers.

7:00 PM

The special reception concludes, and the Council Chambers will be cleared so that seating for the public hearing can begin.

7:10 PM

Seating for the public hearings begins.  Seating will initially be limited to participants and citizens present for all other public hearing cases (e.g. not MP-11-03/CU-11-01 Windward MP Amend/Amana Academy).

Once all participants for the other cases have been seated, we will begin seating those present for MP-11-03/CU-11-01 Windward MP Amend/Amana Academy who have tickets.  This seating will be done on a first-come, first-served basis.  Once capacity of the Council Chambers has been reached, all remaining individuals will be asked to proceed to the overflow location.

7:30 PM

City Council Meeting and Public Hearing begin.  Case MP-11-03/CU-11-01 Windward MP Amend/Amana Academy is the final public hearing item of the night.

Undetermined

After the other public hearings have concluded, City Council will recess and the room will be cleared.  Those already seated who have tickets for MP-11-03/CU-11-01 Windward MP Amend/Amana Academy may remain in the room.  Those ticketed participants in the overflow location will then be seated in the Council Chambers.

Speaker Cards:

As always anyone wishing to speak on any public hearing topic must complete a Speaker Card and hand that in to the City Clerk.  The Speaker Card is available online at http://www.alpharetta.ga.us/files/docs/pdfs/SPEAKER%20CARD.pdf, and participants are encouraged to print and complete the form in advance of arriving at the meeting.

What if I do not want to speak but want my position known?

Anyone who does not want to speak before City Council but wants her/his position on MP-11-03/CU-11-01 Windward MP Amend/Amana Academy to be known will be asked to sign a sheet at the door.  Sheets will be available for those for and those opposed to the application.  When the public hearing portion of the case begins, the City Clerk will note for the record that in addition to those who have registered to speak “x” number of people are present tonight who are opposed and “x” number who are in support of the application.

Decorum:

Attached to this message you will find a set of guidelines for public hearing participants.  These guidelines will help ensure that the meeting runs smoothly and with proper respect and decorum.  They also serve as a handy reference for those who have not previously participated in a formal public hearing so that everyone knows what to expect.

We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding in advance of and during Monday night’s meeting.  Our facilities and resources are limited; however, the plan and processes outlined above will help us to ensure that the public is properly heard and that everyone’s positions and opinions are treated fairly and with respect.