DERRY — Derry's Town Council may becoming more resident friendly.
Before the council addressed any new business on Tuesday night, March 18, Councilor Janet Fairbanks proposed a 20-minute public forum that would allow residents to speak their minds.
Newly elected Chairman Rick Metts said he was thinking of a similar idea. All seven councilors voted in favor of the idea and said they would look into making it a regular element of the bimonthly meeting.
Only two residents took advantage of the opportunity, but some councilors have said they would like to open the floor to residents before every meeting.
"The people that come to speak literally wait for three hours to wait to speak for three minutes," Fairbanks said of the council's traditional public forum that had taken place at the end of each meeting.
She also said that if the forum is passed as a regular element of meetings, this could help bring some fresh faces to the meetings. Currently, many of the same residents show up at each council meeting.
"If more people will come to speak because they don't have to wait through the entire meeting, then that's a good thing," said newly elected Councilor Neil Wetherbee.
Councilor Brian Chirichiello said he'd like to see a public forum at the beginning of meetings but said the public needs to understand that councilors are always willing to listen to residents.
"I don't want people to think they have to wait two weeks to get in front of us," said Chirichiello, who said residents are always free to call or e-mail him.
Chirichiello said he would even support starting meetings a half-hour earlier so the public could speak before the council begins their business.
The council has traditionally only allowed residents to speak on items that are not on the evening's agenda. Fairbanks said she would also like to change that policy, but Chirichiello said he had some reservations on that idea.
The council typically holds a public hearing on items before voting and Chirichiello said that is the time for residents to speak. They could also call or write to their councilors but allowing people to speak on agenda items in a public forum could distract the council from conducting their business, he said.
"There's not a small window to communicate; that thinking is flawed," Chirichiello said.
Wetherbee, who was elected to the council last week, has pledged to meet with his constituents on a regular basis and Chirichiello said that is one avenue the council could explore to get more feedback from residents.
