Tarrant County Judge Tim O鈥橦are announced he鈥檚 doubling down on the rules at Commissioners Court meetings.
If anybody speaks over their three-minute public comment time, they鈥檒l be escorted out by sheriff鈥檚 deputies.
O鈥橦are addressed the rules Tuesday after 四虎影院 wrote about the ban on one of the court鈥檚 most frequent commenters, Reverend Ryon Price. Price got a trespass warning at the July 2 meeting after he spoke a few seconds over his allotted time. He cannot return to the Commissioners Court building in downtown Fort Worth for a year, he said.
O鈥橦are will warn people about their time limit once, and if they don鈥檛 stop talking, they鈥檒l get kicked out, he said.
鈥淭his is not in any way shape or form attempting to stifle free speech. This is to make sure there is civility in the courtroom,鈥� O鈥橦are said.
In a post on X later Tuesday afternoon, O'Hare emphasized people will get a warning before their removal.
"If someone goes over 3 minutes, they will be informed their time is up. If they continue to speak after they are informed, ignoring the buzzer and the timer and the court鈥檚 instruction that their time is up, then the next step is removal," he wrote.
At the meeting, O'Hare did not clarify whether everyone who is removed would get a trespass warning that bans them from the building.
O鈥橦are 鈥渨ould love nothing more鈥� than to have meetings where he doesn鈥檛 kick anyone out, he said, but he must keep decorum.
鈥淪o everyone is aware, public comments do not have to be done,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is something the previous court has chosen to put in place. I have no intention of removing it.鈥�
State law requires Commissioners Courts to allow the public to comment on agenda items. That鈥檚 according to and , citing state law.
The Tarrant County Commissioners Court also allows people to talk about issues not on the agenda. If courts do that, "The opportunity of a person to address the body may not be restricted because of what the person may have to say," the Texas Association of Counties writes in its 2023 Open Meetings Act guide.
O鈥橦are also told the audience he does not have the power to give someone a trespass warning that bans someone from the building. That responsibility lies with law enforcement, he said.
Trespass warnings generally last a year, but they can be even longer, Sheriff鈥檚 Office spokesperson Robbie Hoy previously explained.
Former state representative Lon Burnam got no time frame for when he can return, he told 四虎影院. He also got a trespass warning at the meeting on July 2, after he said he told O鈥橦are he did not respect him.
Before the public comment period Tuesday, O鈥橦are read the entire page-long decorum rules sheet. He also said he and his fellow court members will discuss the policy later.
Lon Burnam and Ryon Price are part of a group that shows up at almost every Commissioners Court meeting. Their fellow public commenters were there to talk about the rules Tuesday morning.
Harriet Harral thanked O鈥橦are for clarifying the rules and suggested someone else take on the responsibility of timekeeping.
鈥淓nforcement of the time limits is being perceived as punitive rather than simply administrative. There鈥檚 no reason for that,鈥� Harral said.
Julie Griffin said the bans have a chilling effect. She doesn鈥檛 feel she can speak freely at Commissioners Court 鈥渨hen under the sword of a possible ban and arrest.鈥�
Jackee Cox is one of the most frequent speakers at Commissioners Court. Plenty of people speak over their three minutes, but not everybody gets banned for it, she told commissioners.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a very serious sanction,鈥� she said.
Cox started to speak further when the three-minute timer beeped.
O鈥橦are told her time was up, and she left the podium.
This story has been updated with further comments on X from County Judge Tim O'Hare.
Got a tip? Email Miranda Suarez at msuarez@kera.org. You can follow Miranda on X @MirandaRSuarez.
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