A new tone for Belleville public-comment limits in 2017?

Beep!

Such is the sound heard by residents who speak longer than the permitted times during Belleville Board of Education meetings.

In Essex County, time limits are imposed by some municipal councils and boards of education, and not by others.

With a colossal clock ticking off their allotted time, audience members speaking to the Belleville BOE can view the countdown. Attendees are limited to speaking for a maximum of three minutes during the Belleville BOE's first public comment session, and for five minutes during the second public comment session.

However, with the New Year here and three recently elected members of the school board who were set to be sworn Jan. 4, time might run out for the clock, an old security monitor hooked up to a school computer.

Belleville residents Jeff Mattingly and Phyllis Frantantoni, who speak frequently at school board and Township Council meetings, oppose the clock.

DEMAREST: Council adds time limit for public to speak at council meetings

“I find it very distracting,” Mattingly said.

“I feel like I'm on the Gong Show,” observed Frantantoni.

So will the clock go?

“The new board is going to be discussing that,” said Superintendent of Schools Richard Tomko. “It was implemented at a time when a little bit more organization was needed.”

School Board President John Rivera, whose term expires at the end of the year, said on Dec. 21 the clock is needed.

“There are some members of the public that, if they’re allowed to, will go well over their time, which isn’t fair to everyone else,” noted Rivera.

School board member Thomas Grolimond wants the clock gone.

“They have time limits, and [the board president] can state that. They really don’t need that clock,” said Grolimond, adding that as long as the speaker is not being repetitive, he or she should be allowed to speak for as long as they want.

New Jersey state regulations allow the clock and its function as a timer.

“The Open Public Meetings Act says there has to be a public comment portion for the meeting, but as a practical matter from the municipalities’ perspective, there needs to be some organization or some method of making sure everyone can participate,” Edward Purcell, a staff attorney with the New Jersey League of Municipalities, told NorthJersey.com.

“Often that takes the form of having a reasonable time limit on public comments,” noted Purcell.

Counting down in other venues

At Belleville Township Council meetings, the mayor, in coordination with the township attorney and, on occasion, a police officer, regulate comments as residents speak from their seats.

The bylaws of the neighboring Bloomfield Board of Education allow people to comment publicly at board meetings for up to 45 minutes. However, the BOE may limit the speaker's comments to three minutes.

At each Nutley Board of Education meeting, the school board president reads the policy concerning public comments. The Nutley BOE policy limits each public comment to three minutes.

The Verona municipal government has a four-minute limit on public comments, but it is rarely enforced.

Glen Ridge's Borough Council and Board of Education tend not to have explicit time limits in place during public meetings.

The Cedar Grove Board of Education has a three-minute limit for its public comments, according to Superintendent of Schools Michael Fetherman. While it's not often needed, Fetherman said it's a good policy to have.

"From time to time we have to evoke it, but we try to give folks the time they need to express themselves," Fetherman said. "I think under certain circumstances it can help maintain an orderly flow to the meeting. Some folks can get kind of tied up in their own words and kind of hijack things. I think it’s good to have it."

In Montclair, The Board of Education limits public comments to three minutes, although it will allow people to go slightly longer depending on the subject. The BOE president usually reads the policy on public comments during the meeting.

The Montclair Township Council, according to 3rd Ward Council Member Sean Spiller, has a time limit, but it is not strictly enforced.

The situation is similar in Millburn, where neither the Township Committee nor the Board of Education uses a clock to limit public comments.

“There’s never been discussion about using a clock,” said Alex McDonald, the Millburn municipal government's business administrator. “We’ve had hot-button issues and asked people to limit their comments."

During heated meetings, noted McDonald, residents stepping up to the microphone might also be asked to avoid repeating questions. “The mayor usually controls the meeting in that way,” he said.

Staff Writers Josh Jongsma, Ricardo Kaulessar, Owen Proctor, Erin Roll, Mollie Shauger and Harry Trumbore contributed to this story.

Email: kadosh@northjersey.com