Addressing the Board

An agenda is prepared for each BOC meeting and work session. Agendas are available in the Town Clerk's Office, 301 S. Brooks St., between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., on the Friday prior to the day of the meeting.

Agendas for regular BOC meetings are also available online and through the Town's E-Notifier email subscription service.

On the day of the meetings, agendas are provided on the information table located at the entrance to the board chambers.

Board of Commissioners Meeting - 3rd Tuesday of Each Month

The regular meeting of the BOC is scheduled on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the board chambers. The purpose of the regular board meeting is to take formal action on issues affecting the Town of Wake Forest.

The order of business during regular board of commissioners meetings is as follows:

1. Call to order
2. Pledge of allegiance
3. Approval of agenda
4. Approval of minutes
5. Presentations
6. Public Hearings* / Public Comment**
7. Consent Agenda
8. Legislative Items
9. Planning Items
10. Administration and Financial Items
11. Public Services Items
12. Parks and Recreation Items
13. Public Safety Items
14. Other Business
15. Closed Session – when necessary
16. Adjournment

The purpose of a public hearing is to seek formal input as required by ordinance or statute on certain issues, such as the proposed budget, ordinance changes, etc.

Anyone wishing to speak during a public hearing is strongly encouraged to register to speak no later than 3 p.m. the day of the meeting.

At the appointed time during the public hearing, the mayor will give a brief explanation of the issue being considered. The mayor will then acknowledge those persons who have registered to speak. Those who have registered will be called upon in the order registered.

After everyone who registered has spoken, the mayor can – at her discretion – invite individuals to speak who did not register.

Speakers are limited to three minutes each and are asked to please adhere to the following procedure:

1. Secure the recognition of the mayor and approach the podium. State your name and address for the record, and indicate if you are representing a group or organization.
2. Your comments should be addressed to the board as a whole, not to individual board members.
3. Your remarks should concern the issue being considered.
4. Board policy recognizes the vital necessity of obtaining comments from the public, therefore you are asked to make a concise statement of your opinions and not try to establish a dialogue with board members. This helps prevent lengthy digressions and gives all who desire to speak an opportunity to do so. If you wish to establish a direct dialogue with commissioners, then please direct your questions to them outside of formal board meetings.
5. In addition to the procedures described here, speaker shall also comply with the Guidelines to Public Comment.

• Individuals – Remarks must be limited to three (3) minutes.
• Groups – groups have three (3) minutes and may designate a speaker. The speaker may recognize the group by asking them to stand.

PLEASE NOTE: During the public hearing, board members may engage the speaker by asking questions and seeking clarification.

Guidelines for Public Comment at Regular Meetings of the Board of Commissioners

The Wake Forest Board of Commissioners values input from residents of the community and offers an opportunity for Public Comment during its regular meetings.

North Carolina law requires governing boards to provide at least one public comment period per month during a regular meeting, so long as at least one regular meeting is held. Whenever Wake Forest provides a public comment period, this is considered a limited public forum.  As such, these procedures will be followed and enforced in order to: 1) allow for all constitutionally protected speech to be efficiently spoken and heard while 2) ensuring that all the purposes of regular meetings are successfully met within an environment of appropriateness and decorum.

Pursuant to North Carolina law (N.C.G.S. §§160A-81.11, 143-318.17, and other applicable law), the Board has established these Guidelines in order to maintain order, civility, and decorum during the entirety of all Board meetings.

NOTE: These Guidelines apply specifically to public comments made during a regular session of the Board of Commissioners.  For Guidelines specific to Formal Public Hearings such as quasi-judicial proceedings, please see the Guidelines for Participation in Formal Public Hearings and the Student Guide to Formal Public Hearings.

Persons wishing to be called upon to provide public comment shall follow the following sign-up procedures:

• Speakers may sign up by completing the online form prior to the meeting: Online Sign-Up Form.
• Alternatively, the speaker may contact the Town Clerk’s Office at (919) 435-9432 to add their name to the list of speakers or to request further assistance.
• Individuals who have not signed up prior to the meeting in which they wish to speak are encouraged to sign in with the Clerk to the Board.  Same-day sign-up must be completed no later than five minutes prior to the start of the meeting.
• The Board will endeavor to hear from all speakers, but speakers who sign up in advance will be given first priority, and the Board is permitted to end the Public Comment in its discretion after a total of sixty (60) minutes of public comment. In order to be added to the list of speakers, an individual must provide their name, physical address, telephone number, and email address.
• All speakers, by virtue of being permitted to speak, are required to comply with these procedures and these Guidelines. 

Board members and staff will not answer questions, debate, or otherwise engage in conversation with speakers during a public comment session. 

• If the speaker’s comments reference a particular complaint or issue (a “matter”), the Board may refer the issue to the Town Manager to address the matter raised, or the Town Manager may assign the matter to an appropriate staff member.
• If the speaker’s comments involve a policy issue, the Board may schedule discussion on the policy issue for a future work session.
• Questions from the Board will be held until after public comment is closed. 

Speakers called upon during the public comment section shall utilize their time to speak according to the following procedure:

• The Clerk will deliver the list of those persons signed up to speak to the Mayor or presiding officer before the beginning of the meeting.
• The speakers will be called upon in the order the requests were received by the Clerk.   Speakers will be called one at a time and may proceed to the podium upon being recognized by the mayor or presiding officer.
• Speakers are allotted three (3) minutes each. Speakers may not delegate their time, or unused time, to another speaker.
• Groups may designate a speaker. The speaker may recognize the group by asking them to stand.
• Speakers shall state their name and street of residence for the record before making comments.
• Comments shall be directed to the full Board, not an individual member nor other participants or the audience.
• Speaking topics are permitted to include any issues relevant to the Board and the Town.  Examples of topics not permitted would be those of a personal (birthdays) or commercial (business advertising) nature, or any other topic not within the purview of the Board of Commissioners.

Standards of decorum. All speakers and attendees shall abide by these decorum and civility requirements when utilizing their time to speak. 

• Speakers shall present their ideas and opinions freely and without censure using civil language and reasonable standards of courtesy.
• Speakers shall not use language that is insulting or personally disparaging of anyone. Personal attacks, profanity, or other behavior disruptive to the decorum and purpose of regular meetings are strictly prohibited.  All viewpoints, opinions, and relevant information applicable to regular meetings may be freely made without the behavior described by this Section, therefore violation of this section is grounds for dismissal from the proceedings.
• Comments shall be concise and not repetitive or duplicative of other comments made during the same public comment period.  The mayor or presiding officer has the discretion to limit or prohibit comments that are of a nature and substance that have already been conveyed during the same public comment period.
• Neither the Speaker nor any other member of the audience shall approach the dais, including the Town Clerk’s location, during a session.  Town law enforcement and Town staff has the authority to prevent or remove anyone from approaching the Town Clerk, the Mayor, or the Commissioners.
• Everyone in attendance shall refrain from applause, comments, or other disruptions during the public comment section of a regular meeting.  Violation of this section is grounds for dismissal from the proceedings. 

Other materials. Digital or electronic materials are permitted under the following conditions:

• Speakers may use electronic materials during their three minutes.
• Speakers may only use still photos or “slides” of text.
• Because Board meetings are open to the general public and are broadcast via public air waves, electronic materials shall not include words or images that contain vulgar, sexually explicit, or excessively violent material.  If a speaker wishes to submit electronic materials, the sign-up procedures remain the same; however, the electronic materials must be submitted by 5 p.m. on the Friday before the Board meeting. This requirement is associated with technology security needs and to prevent compromise of the Town computer network.  A speaker who has properly submitted electronic materials will be given a reasonable (in the discretion of the mayor or presiding officer) time to set up the necessary technology to display their materials.  Once the technology is in place, the speaker’s three minutes will start. Speakers wishing to reference relevant videos or video content as part of their public comments should inform the Board of where the video can be found (or include such information via written comment) and use their time to summarize or articulate the point made by the video.
• The Board’s restriction of such materials is an effort to impose reasonable restrictions in light of the purpose of the forum while also properly allowing permitted expression.  For 1st Amendment freedom of expression purposes, Town Hall is a different “forum” than the downtown streets of Wake Forest, and thus Commissioner meetings may include certain restrictions that would not necessarily apply to the broad spectrum of expressive activity that the Constitution allows in a traditional public forum (public streets).
• Speakers who have handouts to share shall bring 12 copies and give them to the Clerk to the Board prior to the start of the session. The clerk will distribute them to Board members, the Manager, the Attorney, and retain one copy for the record. 

Comments submitted in writing and received by close of business on the day prior to the public hearing will be provided to Board members at the meeting in a printed copy. Comments received after this time will be passed along to Board members as regular correspondence. 

The Mayor or presiding officer, with the assistance of the Town Clerk, Town Attorney, and Town Manager, shall be responsible for the application and enforcement of these Guidelines.

• Speakers must speak from the lectern in the well of the board chambers. Disabled speakers may request the use of a portable microphone, if they choose.
• When you begin your remarks, state your name and address for the record.
• Speak in a normal voice and relax. The board is interested in hearing what you have to say, and will carefully consider your input.
• Address the board as "Madam Mayor and Members of the board."
• You must confine your remarks to the topic you signed up to speak about. If you stray into other areas, you may be ruled out of order.
• If you have materials you wish the board to view or consider, please provide these to the town clerk for distribution to the board.
• Speakers must refrain from making personal verbal attacks on members of board or other citizens, as well as using vulgar language during remarks.
• The board may, at its option, recall any speaker during its deliberations on an issue, if there are questions or a need for clarification.

Closed sessions are closed meetings that allow the board to discuss certain matters of a sensitive nature that affect the town. Examples of areas that may be discussed in closed session include appointment/employment or dismissal of an employee or officer, land acquisition, and probable or pending litigation involving the town. 

When a motion is made to adjourn to closed session, only that specific topic can be discussed and no final action may be taken on it during the closed session. 

After the board has determined that it is no longer necessary to protect the public interest or the privacy of an individual, minutes of closed meetings or sessions are made available to the public.

The public is encouraged to communicate their questions and concerns to the board of commissioners. You may do so by directly contacting (either orally or in writing) any board member. 

In addition, you may also submit general questions and comments to the town by using the Contact Us feature on the Town website. Questions and comments will be directed to the appropriate official or staff person who will provide a response generally within 24-48 hours.

No person shall interrupt, disturb, or disrupt any regular or special meeting or work session of the BOC. Upon direction of the mayor, any such person shall leave the board chambers and town hall.

The BOC may occasionally deviate from the outlined procedures but failure to strictly observe these rules will not affect the jurisdiction of the board or invalidate any action taken at a meeting that is otherwise held in conformity with the law.

We hope this information has helped make you aware of how you can make your concerns known to the Wake Forest BOC. We need and value your input, and hope to provide responsive, caring, cost-effective service in partnership with our community.