Raleigh City Council would limit time for public comment following lengthy Gaza ceasefire calls

The Raleigh City Council is debating whether to put new limits on public speaking in meetings.

It's become contentious during public comment at city council meetings in recent months because of calls for a ceasefire in Gaza after the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023.

Last week’s Raleigh City Council meeting stretched on for more than 3.5 hours with 217 signed up to speak about the Israel-Hamas War.

On Friday, the Raleigh City Council met at WakeMed Soccer Park for the first of its two-day retreat to help set the agenda for the year ahead.

City council members came up with some ideas to limit how much time people have to bring their concerns, comments and complaints before city leaders.

Eleven of the 12 biggest cities and towns in North Carolina, including Raleigh, limit each speaker to three minutes or less.

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin has cut the time from three minutes to one minute when many people sign up to speak.

This issue led to some heated city council meetings over the last few months because Palestinian supporters came to council week after week calling on council to support a ceasefire resolution.

“I want to make sure we separate that in this conversation from every public comment moving forward,” said District E City Council Member Christina Jones. “When we move beyond the resolution discussion … [to] make sure we’re not penalizing residents in the future because we’re having a hard time now.”

City council members agreed to set a maximum time for public comment meetings either to 2.5 or three hours. They also agreed to limit each speaker’s time based on how many people sign up.

Also, city council members are talking about giving priority to speakers. Specifically, they want to prioritize speakers who come before the city council to discuss city business. For example, the war in Gaza is not something the city can control.

The city council plans to vote on the new rules and limits for public comment in the next month.