TSCC Public Comment Policy

TSCC welcomes public comment and deeply appreciates the engagement of the community we serve. TSCC holds regular business meetings, public hearings on large taxing district budgets, and public hearings on property tax measures proposed by TSCC member taxing district.

Public comment is welcome at any of these meetings, and we encourage members of the public to provide comments in person at public meetings, submit written comments electronically, or both. At each scheduled public meeting, time is provided on the agenda for members of the public to provide comments.

This policy outlines the procedures for public comment at TSCC public meetings.

In-Person Public Comment:

  • Registration: Register in advance or in-person the day of the meeting. To register in advance, email TSCC staff. To sign up at the hearing, look for the public comment sign up sheet. To testify via video, please email staff at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. For public hearings with taxing districts, you may sign up with TSCC or with the district directly.
  • Timing: Public comment will typically be taken near the beginning of the meeting.
  • Addressing the Commission: For the record, please state your name. If you have submitted written comments as well, please summarize instead of reading word for word.
  • Time Limit: Each individual providing oral public comment will be allotted a maximum of three (3) minutes. The Chair reserves the right to further limit the allotted time for public comment if needed to efficiently manage the meeting agenda and adhere to time constraints.
  • Topic Relevancy: All oral public comments should be directly related to the topic of the scheduled hearing. If a speaker raises topics that are not relevant to the hearing agenda, the Chair may request that the speaker reserve those comments for a future TSCC meeting if and when the topic is scheduled for discussion.
  • No Direct Response: Please be aware that the Commissioners will not respond directly to public comments during the hearing. However, all input received will be taken under careful consideration during the review of budgets and ballot measures.

Written Public Comment:

  • Submission: Members of the public are encouraged to submit written comments at any time before the hearing. You can submit testimony by directly emailing TSCC staff or using the Commissioner contact form.
  • Public Record and Distribution: All written comments received will be included as part of the public record on the TSCC website and will be shared directly with the Commissioners for their review.
  • Acknowledgement at Hearing: In the interest of time during hearings, written comments will not be read aloud. However, TSCC will state the receipt of written comments and their availability on the TSCC website.

This policy aims to provide a fair and efficient process in alignment with public meeting laws for the public to contribute to the TSCC’s work while ensuring the orderly conduct of its meetings.