HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-28-2026 Sue Kesim Public Comment FILEDSeptember 28, 2026
TO: Mr. Bob Palmer, Council Attorney and Parliamentarian
Filed in Clerk 's Office
St~ 2 8 2026
Unfortunately, Ms. Niezgodski needs to have the Ordinance rules read to her aQsM'nca Tirado
City Clerk, South Bend, IN
As a citizen at the podium I deserve my three minutes to be uninterrupted even if she does not like
what I have to say. It is the right of citizens to Redress their governing body.
As Parliamentarian, I ask that you restart my time when she interrupts and advise her that her
interruptions are out of line per South Bend Ordinance.
South Bend Municipal Code § 2-12( 13) provides:
Name and residential address. A person wishing to address the Council must state their name and
residential address.
Three-minute limit. Each individual is limited to three minutes.
Thirty-minute total limit. The entire Privilege of the Floor portion of the meeting is limited to 30
minutes.
City jurisdiction. Speakers may address only issues over which the City has jurisdiction.
No repeating an agenda matter already heard. Individuals are not permitted to address a topic that
the Council has already heard previously on the agenda.
In practical terms, Privilege of the Floor is for matters other than subjects the Council has already
taken public commenUheard earlier in that meeting.
The Council's own procedures brochure similarly describes Privilege of the Floor as the opportunity
to address an item not listed on the Council agenda.
Referral and required response. The Council President may assign an issue raised during
Privilege of the Floor to an appropriate Council member and/or ask the City Clerk to contact the
Administration for review and comment. Importantly, the ordinance says: "All topics assigned shall
be responded to at the next regularly scheduled Common Council meeting."
For Privilege of the Floor, you are entitled under §2-12(13) to three minutes on a matter within City
jurisdiction, subject to the other stated restrictions. The ordinance does not say that an
individual Council member may repeatedly interrupt a recognized speaker or consume part
of that person's three-minute opportunity. It also does not say the comments must be given
in the form of a question like Jeopardy.
The ordinance does not say that criticism of the City, Council, individual Council members, City
policies, spending, decisions, etc. is itself prohibited. The codified restrictions are time, City
jurisdiction, duplication of matters already heard on the agenda, and actual disorder/undue delay.
Sec. 2-8.1. -Parliamentarian of the Common Council.
(a)The Council Attorney or in the Council Attorney's absence, the City attorney, or designate of the
City Legal Department, shall act as Parliamentarian of the Common Council at all general, special
and committee meetings of the Council.(b)The Parliamentarian shall decide all procedural
questions only upon request of any Council Member during a meeting. Such decisions shall be
advisory in nature.(c)
The Parliamentarian shall have in the Parliamentarian's possession the appropriate rules and
regulations governing the Council at all general, special and committee meetings.(d)Any advisory
decision made by the Parliamentarian may be accepted or rejected by the Council, and once acted
upon by the presiding officer, the presiding officer's decision may then be subject to further
appropriate action by the Council.
(Ord. No. 6114-77, § 1; Ord. No. 7929-88, § 1; Ord. No. 10877-22, § I, 9-12-22)
I'd like it further noted that every time I have asked for someone to get back with me about an
issue I specifically asked about, no one every has.
Thank you for your consideration regarding this matter.
Sue 1.(esim
South Bend Resident