Tips for participating in City Council meetings

Meetings Overview

  • Council Time Check-In: The City Council will conduct a check-in at 11:00 p.m. and every hour after to evaluate whether it is appropriate to continue the meeting. The City Council may extend the time for public comment during a check-in or may determine that due to the lateness of the hour, modifications to the meeting may be appropriate. Modifications may include moving remaining individuals wishing to make public comment to the City's online comment portal, recessing the meeting to another date, or adjourning the meeting.
  • Consent Agenda: The Consent Agenda is used to to expedite Council meetings by passing resolutions, ordinances on first reading, and other items through one motion made by the City Council. Ordinances on the Consent Agenda are merely scheduled for Council to set a future date for their public hearing. Except for ordinances on the Consent Agenda, you can provide public comments on any other Consent Agenda items in-person or through written public comments submitted through www.LakewoodSpeaks.org.
  • Public Hearings: When City Council is considering a new ordinance, a public hearing is required to receive public testimony when the ordinance appears on the agenda for the second time. Ordinances are used to amend or create new city laws, rezone property, or authorizing the city’s budget. If you would like to comment on a specific ordinance, you can speak in-person during the public hearing, or submit written public comments through LakewoodSpeaks.org.
  • Public Comment: This is the time to provide your thoughts and comments on topics that don’t relate to anything on the agenda. Are you concerned about a park or think City Council should tackle a specific issue? This is your opportunity to make your voice heard. You can provide written public comment online at LakewoodSpeaks.org or provide in-person public comment at the meeting during the two public comment portion of the agenda. 
  • Study Session: These are just what the name says. The City Council studies an issue through in-depth presentations and discussions. To comment on the issues being studied, you can provide written public comment online at LakewoodSpeaks.org. 

Agenda items and presentations

Start by using LakewoodSpeaks.org, which allows you to review the agenda items for each meeting, watch presentations and submit written comments for each council member to review before and during the meeting. Presentations for a specific agenda item are prerecorded and available on the website 10 days before each meeting so you can watch them when it is convenient for you. Staff reports, maps and other documents related to an agenda item are also available at the same time, which gives you time to review the details of the topic. Written public comment on LakewoodSpeaks.org is open during and after the meeting, but will close at 10:00AM the day following the meeting.

 

Public comment - a limited public forum

Generally, public comment at Lakewood City Council and planning commission meetings is subject to the following rules and guidelines:

  • Each commenter is limited to topics related to City Council agenda items, planning commission issues, or issues of concern to the Lakewood Community.
  • Commenters should address their comments to the City Council or planning commission. Comments should not be addressed to previous commenters.
  • All commenters are limited to three minutes of public comment unless they have appropriately pooled their time.
  • Public comment can be limited for a particular meeting due to meeting length.  

There are several opportunities to provide comment during City Council meetings.

  • Initial Public Comment: This is the first of two in-person public comment segments during regular meetings on topics that do not relate to that meeting's agenda items. Although this segment invites public comment on non-agenda items, comments should still relate to issues of concern to the Lakewood community. This comment segment is limited to the first ten in-person commenters and shall prioritize those who need accommodations; each commenter is allotted a maximum of three minutes. There shall be no pooling of time during this comment segment.
    • Registration: If you would like to sign up for the Initial Public Comment section, you may do so in advance of the next upcoming regular meeting by sending an email to CCO@lakewood.org. or calling 303-987-7080. 
  • Consent Agenda: You can provide comments on resolutions City Council is considering that night during this segment. You can also provide comment on any other item on the consent agenda which will not be subject to further public comment in the future. Resolutions are used to authorize items such as contracts, fees, policies and procedures, certain payments and specific actions. Resolutions appear only once on the agenda, so this is the time to provide your comments on the specific resolution you are interested in. 
    • Ordinances placed on the consent agenda for notification purposes ("first reading" of the ordinance) are not available for public testimony. 
  • Public Hearings: When City Council is considering a new ordinance, a public hearing will occur to take public testimony when the ordinance appears on the agenda for the second time. Ordinances are used for such items as creating new city laws, amending existing city laws, rezoning property or authorizing the city’s budget. If you want to comment on a specific ordinance, the time to do that is during its public hearing. 
    • Virtual Participation: Online viewers of regular or special City Council meetings will be given the opportunity to provide testimony at public hearings. If you would like to participate virtually for a public hearing, you may do so by utilizing Lakewood Speaks.org. 
  • General Public Comment: This is the second of two in-person public comment segments during regular meetings on topics that do not relate to that meeting's agenda items. Although this segment invites public comment on non-agenda items, comments should still relate to issues of concern to the Lakewood community. Each commenter is allotted a maximum of three minutes.
    • Presentation Aides: Presentation materials such as PowerPoints, videos and other media must be submitted to the City Clerk by noon the day of the meeting. Please send materials to CCO@lakewood.org. or call 303-987-7080 to make arrangements.
    • Council Time Check-in: The check-in time for this comment segment may be limited to an 11 p.m. deadline during any regular or special meeting. If this comment segment is limited at 11 p.m. or later, commenters may still submit their public comment online via LakewoodSpeaks.org
    • Time Limits for HOA/RNA representatives: A formally selected representative of a registered neighborhood association or other neighborhood organizations who wishes to comment in person shall be allowed to comment for up to ten minutes at a public hearing regarding the a matter on the agenda.
    • "Pooling" Agreements: In-person commenters may use "pooling" of time to add to the length of their comment period for public hearings. To pool time, so as to be granted up to ten minutes of commenting time, a commenter must present the names of at least three individuals who are present in the audience when the commenter is commenting and who wish to yield their three minutes to the commenter. All persons participating in the agreement must be present in Council Chambers when the commenter is called to the podium. Virtual attendees will not have the ability to "pool" time. Pooling of time is not available at the Initial Public Comment segment. 
  • Study Sessions: The City Council frequently studies an issue through in-depth presentations and discussions. To comment on the issues being studied, you can provide written public comment online at LakewoodSpeaks.org.

Watching meetings

You can watch council meetings in any of the follow locations.

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