Fort Worth residents applauded the City Council on Tuesday night for increasing opportunities for people to address the members at public meetings.
Still, they urged more improvements to make it easier to speak.
The public will get 20 chances to address City Council on any topic under a that council members unanimously approved Jan. 13. Starting Jan. 27, residents may sign up to speak for three minutes on concerns unrelated to the agenda at the end of regular City Council meetings.
They also amended meeting rules to bar the mayor from reducing speakers鈥� time allotments unless by a majority vote of the council.
Fort Worth resident William Winston told council members that the changes help 鈥渞estore our faith in your goodwill.鈥�
鈥淚 would ask that you pay primary attention to what is being said to you, separate and distinct from who is saying it, how they are saying it and what they look like,鈥� Winston said. 鈥淭he heart of these comments is in the words. If you pay attention to the words, you will inescapably feel the emotions, commitments and hopes of the speakers.鈥�
The new schedule came after from residents of the original 2026 meeting calendar that from 15 in 2025 to 10 this year. Council members in favor of the reduction said at the time that residents could meet privately with the elected officials or speak at other public meetings.
Before the vote, two dozen residents implored council members to approve the changes, add the amendment on time limits, introduce options for residents to speak remotely and allow speakers at the beginning of meetings instead of the end. No one spoke in opposition to the new schedule.
In September, when they adopted the 2026 schedule, council members gave the mayor the , particularly if the number of registered speakers would result in more than one hour of comment time.
On Tuesday, speakers saw their time limited to two minutes for the second week in a row 鈥� a reduction from the three-minute time limit that was standard in 2025.
Council member Elizabeth Beck proposed the change to the time limit rules. Several speakers said it was difficult to plan out comments when they aren鈥檛 sure how long they鈥檒l be allowed to speak 鈥� a point Beck said moved her.
鈥淭onight鈥檚 vote is about growth, and it鈥檚 about growth for this council, and it鈥檚 about growth for the city,鈥� Beck said. She then added, 鈥淲hat you see here with this vote is our growth as a council, realizing that we didn鈥檛 get it right, listening to the voices of the people, doing our best to try to make that right.鈥�
Fort Worth resident Allison Fitzgerald told council members they often look 鈥減retty bored鈥� while listening to public comments. She urged them to be more engaged.
鈥淚 believe that I add value to this city,鈥� Fitzgerald said, placing her hand on her chest. Gesturing to the audience, she added, 鈥淚 believe these people add value to the city.鈥�
Speakers asked for audience members to be allowed to react to other speakers鈥� comments with clapping, finger snapping or other forms of expression.
Tuesday night鈥檚 meeting opened with a preamble from City Secretary Jannette Goodall, who read aloud the rules of decorum for attendees and speakers in the council chambers, including a warning that people who disrupt the meeting could be . Prior to this month, such rules were not typically read aloud.
Council member Charlie Lauersdorf, who supported the meeting reduction in September, said that after giving the matter thought, he looks forward to hearing peoples鈥� comments and suggestions on issues that he feels are in the domain of City Hall.
鈥淚鈥檓 sure, however this goes forward, there will still be those public comments that are kind of 鈥榦ut there,鈥� but again, absolutely (it鈥檚) everyone鈥檚 right for those,鈥� Lauersdorf said.
Council member Chris Nettles said he鈥檚 open to exploring the possibility of moving the time for public comments toward the beginning of the meeting agenda, noting that prior to Tuesday, he didn鈥檛 know that was a desire from the community.
Fort Worth resident Denise Gordon said moving the time to speak earlier in the meeting would make it easier for her to attend without worrying about how late a council meeting will drag on.
鈥淚鈥檓 totally night blind, so I鈥檝e gotta drive real slow back to my house,鈥� she said.
Speaker Skyler Thiot told the council that after one year of living in Fort Worth, he feels 鈥渕ore civic pride鈥� for the city than he did for Plano where he lived for 20 years or Dallas where he lived for 10. He said it should be easy for residents to speak at council meetings, and people鈥檚 comments should be prioritized.
鈥淭here鈥檚 more we can do,鈥� Thiot said. 鈥淲e can make the city even better for my daughter, who loves it as well and, hopefully, will be up here someday as well.鈥�
Cecilia Lenzen and Drew Shaw are government accountability reporters for the Fort Worth Report. Contact them at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org and drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org.
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