{"id":33173,"date":"2026-02-03T06:10:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T11:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/?p=33173"},"modified":"2026-02-03T07:27:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T12:27:57","slug":"community-speaks-out-against-public-comment-restrictions-council-kills-ordinance-3-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/03\/community-speaks-out-against-public-comment-restrictions-council-kills-ordinance-3-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Community Speaks Out Against Public Comment Restrictions; Council Kills Ordinance 3\u201326"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Community Speaks Out Against Public Comment Restrictions; Council Kills Ordinance 3\u201326<\/span><\/font><\/span><\/h2><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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2.3.2026 \/ News \/ Daisy Dale<\/u><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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MUNCIE, Ind. \u2014<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Muncie City Council held the February meeting to an invigorated crowd. While several major items were on the agenda, council-member Jeff Green’s recent public comment restrictions and Ordinance 3-26 were the most pertinent to the audience.<\/span><\/p>

At last months meeting, just after Jeff Green was appointed the council’s new president, he announced six new changes for public comment:\u00a0<\/span>1. Members of the public can only speak for two minutes instead of three. 2. Ordinances up for introduction will not have their own comment portions. 3.\u00a0<\/span>No members of the public can sign up to speak after the meeting starts. 4. Public comments will take place at the start of each meeting instead of the end. <\/span>5. Council will\u00a0<\/span>\u201cnot\u00a0<\/span>put up with language nor attitudes that are incorrect and would cause dissension.\u201d And\u00a0<\/span>6. Speakers will have to state their home address<\/span>\u00a0when at the podium<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>

In response to the changes, c<\/span>lose to 20 people spoke against Green’s restrictions at public comment. While it was a mostly liberal-leaning audience, <\/span>local Republicans Ryan Webb, a former Delaware County Council member, and local podcaster Kristopher Bilbrey who runs The Political Spotlight<\/a><\/span>, also spoke against the restrictions. Also included was Ellen Marie, an advocate part of Muncie Resists who has spoken at several recent meetings.<\/span><\/p>

Speaking on how party politics were impacting Green’s decisions, Bilbrey at the podium described a phone call he had with Delaware County Republican Chairman Tim Overton, who claimed that two businesses that were considering moving operations to Muncie decided against doing so over the “disorder” of how council meetings were being held.\u00a0<\/span>The Post-Democrat received a recording of Bilbrey’s call with Overton, who told the podcaster<\/span>\u00a0“I’m telling you, we’ve lost businesses. So we’re trying to create order, and so that’s the purpose of this. And we’re allowing everyone to speak before actions are taken.” Overton went on to tell the podcaster “you want the status quo of disorder” to which Bilbrey impatiently replied “do not put words into my mouth.”<\/span><\/p>

Council-member Nora Powell expressed frustration over council not being informed that Muncie has lost business over the conduct of meetings, and asked why only Republican leadership was told instead of elected officials.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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No action was taken against Green’s restriction after the public comment portion, however Green announced early in the meeting that giving home addresses would no longer be a requirement.\u00a0<\/span>Council-member Sara Gullion later announced she has an ordinance in the works to reclarify future rules, though members of the audience asked for a motion to be made.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Delaware County Republican Party Chairman Tim Overton talking to Councilor Dale Basham during a recess.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Immediately following the discussion, council moved to Ordinance 3-26. <\/span>An ongoing and contentious agenda item<\/span><\/a>, the ordinance originated from a forged signature made by Mayor Ridenour’s executive assistant, Shareen Wagley, and revises city code to ensure future agenda items are filed by members of council. It was first introduced as Ord. 10-25 in November and voted down at the same meeting, however was refiled for this year. <\/span>While introduced unanimously at the January meeting, Councilor <\/span>Ro Selvey asked last night to amend the ordinance to additionally require the city controller give a signature to all future ordinances and resolutions alongside a council sponsor and council attorney.<\/span><\/p>\n

A near hour-and-a-half discussion included four different amendments, various debate on the ambiguous language of “and” or “or” being used, questions over council’s ability to act autonomously with the added change, and <\/span>a recess called by Green<\/span>. At one point i<\/span>n the last half of their discussion legal counsel Jagen Arnold, who was recently appointed at the January meeting, told council that he was unaware whether they were voting on the original ordinance or if it had been amended. <\/span>Communications Director Amber Greene, who was handling the livestreaming, was seen leaving the meeting an hour before the meeting was over.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the end, with Ro Selvey’s first amendment to the ordinance passed, council voted down the amended ordinance 7-2. The proposed changes to city code that originated from a November ordinance are no longer being pursued by council.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\u00a0<\/p>

amendment 1\/Ro’s motion seconded by Basham: requiring the city controller to sign off on any agenda items for council.<\/span><\/p>

amendment 2\/Nora’s amendment seconded by\u00a0Dishman(?)<\/span>: limiting controller’s involvement to ordinances that pertain to finances.<\/span><\/p>

amend 2, against 7-2<\/span><\/p>

This author asked Ro Selvey why the amendment has been brought up at the last minute, as the first introduction\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Basham motions to table Ord. 3-26. Did not get a second.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Vote held for first amendment. Passes 5-4.<\/span><\/p>

amendment 3\/Bashams’ amendment: filing done in person or electronic mail. Council sponsor, OR attorney. Gullion questions how something can pass without attorney looking at it with the language of “OR.”<\/span><\/p>

amendment 4\/ Basham’s secondary amendment: including AND instead of OR. Gullion challenges if this required council to have both legal AND controller look at it.<\/span><\/p>

Yours truly asked if the city controller wanted to approach the podium.<\/span><\/p>

When recess was called, Ro Selvey said in the microphone “I have to talk to Ms. Daisy.”<\/span><\/p>

Recess ends<\/span><\/p>

amendment 4 vote: Voted against 6-3.<\/span><\/p>

Back to amendment 3: Voted against 7-1. Basham dissenting vote.<\/span><\/p>

Back to amendment 1. : Basham brought it up, Dishman seconded.<\/span><\/p>

Vote to adopt as amended by Ro. Members of the audience asked to just kill it.<\/span><\/p>

Vote was 7-2.<\/span>

<\/span>Council made a total of four amendments, sparring back and forth on the language of “and” or “no,” and members of the audience\u00a0<\/span><\/div>
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Community Speaks Out Against Public Comment Restrictions; Council Kills Ordinance 3\u201326 2.3.2026 \/ News \/ Daisy Dale MUNCIE, Ind. \u2014\u00a0Muncie City Council held the February meeting to an invigorated crowd. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33173"}],"version-history":[{"count":65,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33241,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33173\/revisions\/33241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/munciepostdemocrat.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}