Meeting Policies & Public Comments

Meeting Rooms

The purpose of this policy is to set forth who may use meeting rooms owned by the City of Columbia in City Hall, for what purposes those rooms may be used, and the manner in which persons or entities may request the use of a meeting room.

This policy applies to the following meeting rooms in City Hall: City Council Chambers, Conference Rooms 1A and 1B, Conference Room 1C, City Hall Front Lobby, Daniel Boone Lobby, and the Mezzanine.

Use of Meeting Rooms and Reservations

Meeting rooms in City Hall are for official City of Columbia business; they are not intended to be used as community meeting rooms. City meeting rooms are available to City staff, City Boards, City Commissions, City Task Forces, and other official groups created by the City of Columbia for the purpose of carrying out City business. These groups may request the use of meeting rooms via the City of Columbia Media and Event Services Manager or his/her designee.

With authorization from the City Manager or his/her designee, City Hall meeting rooms may be used by other government officials; government agencies, elected officials, entities or organizations that have a contractual relationship with the City; organizations in which a City Council member or City employee is a member for professional development or other City-related public purposes.

Use of meeting rooms by any person or organization for election, campaign, political fund raising or other purposes contrary to federal, state or city law is not allowed. It will be up to the discretion of the City Manager and his/her designee to determine if the proposed use violates this policy.

Evening and weekend use of the Mezzanine is prohibited if space is available in Meeting Rooms 1A or 1B. Exceptions may be made by contacting the City of Columbia Media and Event Services Manager or his/her designee for approval at least two weeks in advance of the meeting date.

City activities have first priority therefore the City reserves the right to cancel any outside events as needed.

Guidelines

Utilization of a City Hall meeting room does not constitute City endorsement of the group’s policies or beliefs. Meetings may not be publicized in any manner that suggests City sponsorship or affiliation. A point of contact shall be provided to the Media and Event Services Manager and all inquiries regarding the meeting must be directed to the organizational contact person. The City is not responsible for answering questions about a meeting or taking messages related to any meeting.

All activities taking place in the City Hall meeting rooms must be open to all citizens, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability , sexual orientation, or gender identity. It is the responsibility of the group to provide any and all reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The City reserves the right to attend any meeting held in its facilities and to establish a fee schedule to ensure any costs incurred in the use of any of its meetings rooms is reimbursed by the organization. Any person or organization utilizing the meeting room(s) shall be responsible for any damage to City facilities.

No admission fees or tuition may be charged to those in attendance, unless such fees are for the sole purpose of reimbursing the organization for actual expenses incurred and approved in advance by the City Manager or his/her designee.

Alcoholic beverages and smoking are not permitted.

The use of City video and audio recording and broadcasting resources for any meeting of a group outside of the City of Columbia will require prior written authorization from the City Manager or his/her designee.

Parking will not be provided to any individual or organization without prior written authorization from the City Manager or his/her designee.

Public Comments

If you would like to make a scheduled comment at the beginning of a council meeting you can submit your request online by completing the opens in a new windowScheduled Public Comment Form. Requests for scheduled public comment may also be submitted in writing to:

City Manager’s Office

 

Address:
City Hall, Second Floor
701 E Broadway
P.O. Box 6015
Columbia, Missouri 65205

 

Approximately thirty minutes will be designated for the Scheduled Public Comment section of the Council agenda. Topics for public comment will be scheduled on a first come first served basis. Speakers will have three to five minutes to address the City Council as determined by the Mayor.

Scheduled public comments shall not be allowed on any topic related to an agenda item under public hearing, old business, consent agenda, new business or introduction and first reading. No person will be permitted to make scheduled public comment more often than every other month. No single topic shall have more than two speakers.

Special Accommodations & Interpreter Service

Members of the public may attend any open meeting. For requests for accommodations related to disability, please call 573.874.2489opens phone dialer. In order to assist staff in making the appropriate arrangements for your accommodation, please make your request as far in advance of the posted meeting date as possible.

Presentation Guidelines

Due to cybersecurity concerns, flash drives and other media devices are no longer permitted for delivering files or presentation materials. A speaker who desires to display a presentation must upload the presentation, in advance, to the city network using an upload portal. 

Upload your files and learn more.

PowerPoint Presentation best practices:

  • 16:9 Layout — go to Design tab > Page Setup > “Slides sized for” drop-down menu > On Screen Show (16:9)
  • Sans-serif fonts improve legibility for the video broadcast
  • Bold for titles
  • Text no smaller than 20pt
  • Best to keep important content 1” from all borders to be safe
  • In order to preserve legibility, avoid using more than 2 or 3 lines of text per bullet point
  • Do not crowd the slide with more than 4 or 5 bullet points – just continue the information on the next slide (unless points are very short)
  • Using keywords or short phrases also helps keep slides readable for your audience
  • Using two columns on the slide works well for lists or comparing texts. It  is also good for pictures, charts, etc. with an explanation.

Questions?