MUNCIE, Ind. — Earlier this year Muncie City Council President Jeff Green instituted several rules limiting the public’s ability to speak at their meetings. Yet after fierce opposition and Green ruling back parts of the decision, he limited other council members from responding to questions from the public at last night’s meeting.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Green wouldn’t allow members of council to answer questions from the public, making it no longer a back and forth dialogue. Green also attempted to shorten the length of time that members of the public can talk during agenda items. While a three minute limit is given during the public comment portion of the meeting, there has never been a limit put on how long individuals can speak during ordinances or resolutions being voted on. Council’s new attorney Brandon Murphy told Green that the decision would have to be up for a formal vote at the next meeting.

Moreover, during discussion for Ordinance 14-26, limiting certain city officials from serving on boards and commissions, Councilor Ro Selvey made a motion to stop the discussion and call the issue to question, seconded by Councilor Dale Basham. The ordinance was ultimately voted down by party lines, five Republicans to four Democrats.

In days leading up to the meeting, the heated topic of the replacement of the South Madison Community Center came to a peak when Mayor Dan Ridenour decided on a location outside of Industry neighborhood where the center was originally located. Councilor William McIntosh gave a report for the Community Center Advisory Committee, and addressed inaccuracies in Ridenour’s statement regarding the committee. Ridenour in a video posted last Tuesday said that a formal vote was held by the committee agreeing with the location, which by multiple accounts was not the case. McIntosh said that if the center was not located in Industry, he would ultimately leave the committee.

The auditorium was packed, and several people spoke during public comment about the significance of the center before its demolition in 2006. Local advocate Wayne Scaife released a video last week encouraging more members of Muncie’s Black community to go to Monday’s council meeting. Scaife spoke at Monday’s meeting about how despite the 2002 HOPE VI Grant stating that a new community center and multiple other amenities would be built, including a day care center and a grocery store, it has never come to fruition. Despite everything being promised, “all we’re talking about is a community center,” according to Scaife. “That was a $12.3 million project that we were supposed to get. Now we’ve been reduced from all of that stuff, to just a community center, and on top of that a raggedy building.”

Daisy Dale is the editor and publisher of The Muncie Post-Democrat, a commissioner for the Muncie Human Rights Commission, and a board member of Muncie Queer Alliance.