Have Your Voice Heard: Citizen Comment Process Under Review
Historic Uptown Vice President Dianne Bridges is advocating for improved public participation at City Council meetings by urging a review of April 2025 changes that restricted residents’ ability to engage. Proposed compromises aim to remove barriers and enhance dialogue, encouraging community members to share experiences and support reinstating equitable access.
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Add Historic Uptown to the PlanCOS Neighborhood Map
Historic Uptown Vice President Dianne Bridges is championing more inclusive public participation at City Council meetings. Dianne recently presented recommendations urging Council to revisit changes made in April 2025 that limit how and when residents can speak during meetings.
These changes eliminated the ability to call in, stopped the ceding of speaking time, and moved public comment to the end of meetings—making it harder for many to participate. Parents without childcare, residents with medical needs, full-time workers, and those with mobility or scheduling limitations are now effectively silenced.
Dianne is advocating for common-sense compromises, like reinstating call-ins with advance notice and allowing time to be ceded when pre-coordinated. Their goal? To remove barriers, promote respectful dialogue, and build trust between the community and Council.
How Can You Get Involved?
- Learn about the proposed changes and their impacts in the documents below.
- Share your own experiences with public comment restrictions with the City Council at allcouncil@coloradosprings.gov.
- Contact your Councilmember to voice support for reinstating fair access. Brandy Williams is the Councilmember for Historic Uptown Neighborhood and she can be contacted at Brandy.Williams@coloradosprings.gov or 719-385-5193.
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