Commissioners Approve Meeting Organization and Public Access to Meetings Ordinance

Monroe County Commissioners unanimously approved on Tuesday, Aug. 6 a "Meeting Organization and Public Access to Meetings Ordinance" that establishes rules for how county meetings are to be conducted.

Monroe County Attorney Ben Vaughn, who said he has been working on updates to the proposed ordinance since January 2024, presented the amended 15-page document at Tuesday's meeting.

Towaliga Lake Drive resident Bronwen Morgan said she wants "Public Comments" to be the final item on the main meeting agenda rather than "Commissioner Comments" as was done prior to 2023. However, Vaughn responded that state law does not mandate that public comments be allowed in county government meetings at all and said the Monroe County Board of Commissioners has always been willing to give the public time to speak, which will continue.

District 3 Commissioner John Ambrose immediately motioned to approve the "Meeting Organization and Public Access to Meetings Ordinance, which was seconded by District 4 Commissioner George Emami and approved 5-0.

Click on the following link to view the full ordinance: Updated Meeting Organization Ordinance