Conroe City Council is set to revisit two issues that have drawn public pushback over the last year: when residents can speak at meetings and how much it costs to close city streets for events.
What you need to know
During the May 14 meeting, Mayor Duke Coon is bringing forward an item that could change the city’s adopted 2024-26 council rules of procedure.
The proposal would allow citizen inquiries, or public comment, to include both agenda and non-agenda items and place that portion at the beginning of all publicly called meetings, immediately after the invocation, pledges and any proclamations or recognitions, according to the agenda.
The speaking period would still be capped at 30 minutes, per the agenda.
The item follows a Jan. 6, 2025, special meeting where the council voted to limit public comments to current agenda topics. At the time, Coon said he would not enforce the rule, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Also on the agenda
The council will also consider temporarily restoring street closure fees and related requirements to where they stood before Nov. 13 while city officials study and rework the city’s pricing and permit model, according to the agenda.
The issue has been a point of frustration for some residents and small-business owners after the council adopted updates to the city’s special event regulations Jan. 22. The changes included a new $500 street closure application fee for events that close streets, restrict public access or disrupt normal traffic flow, as previously reported by Community Impact.
How we got here
The May meeting comes after Conroe voters selected three new council members in the May 2 election. Kristin Hoisington, Ken Blevins and John Sellars won the Place 3, 4 and 5 races, respectively, according to unofficial voting results from Montgomery County Elections, as previously reported by Community Impact.
The municipal judge race is headed to a runoff between Tanya Maddux and Jay Gross after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
A special meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. May 13 for the council to canvass the May 2 election results, declare winners and order a June 13 runoff election for municipal judge.
Stay tuned
The 6 p.m. May 14 meeting at Conroe City Hall, 300 W. Davis St., Conroe, will be the first regular meeting listed with Hoisington, Blevins and Sellars on the council roster, according to the agenda.
