Public Communications with the Board of Trustees

The following are avenues of public participation that operate within the framework of the scheduled meetings.

Communication in Writing

Written correspondence may be directed to the Board for consideration at meetings. Statements of two pages or less are encouraged. The correspondence may be provided to the library director, the library administrative assistant, or directly to the Board via email at board@capelibrary.org.

Public Comment at Board Meetings

The public is invited to attend all meetings of the Cape Girardeau Public Library Board except those designated as an executive (closed) session.

Members of the public are welcome to address comments to the Board as set forth below:

• Public comment is allowed at regular meetings of the Board of Trustees unless otherwise noted on the agenda.
• A “Public Comments” section will be included on the agenda and is an opportunity for the members of the public to speak.
• All comments must be relevant to the operation of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.
• The Board may schedule a special listening session(s) designated for community input if a large number of requests to address the Board are received.
• Each person desiring to be heard shall complete the sign in sheet at the meeting. The form shall include the speaker’s name, home address, telephone number, and subject matter of their comment. The Board President may use the sign‐in sheet to manage the public comment time at the meeting.
• Priority of comments is given to:
  1. Residents of the Cape Girardeau Public Library District who are active Cape Girardeau Public Library cardholders;
  2. Residents of the Cape Girardeau Public Library District;
  3. Residents of the City of Cape Girardeau;
  4. All other Cape Girardeau Public Library active cardholders;
  5. All other individuals wishing to address the Board.
• At no time will the Board hear personnel comments during the public comments portion of a business meeting because personnel matters are generally confidential. Please contact the Board via email or otherwise in writing regarding personnel comments.
• Each person may speak up to three (3) minutes.
• The goal of this public comment time is not to exclude voices but to ensure an orderly meeting that respects the time of the volunteer Board members.
• The Board President will start the timer when the speaker begins and the speaker should conclude their remarks in the allotted amount of time.
• The total time devoted to public comment shall not exceed 15 minutes.
• Each speaker may only speak once per meeting and may not yield or credit their time to another speaker.
• Speakers are asked to be courteous in their presentation. Persons displaying disruptive behavior will be asked to leave or be removed from the meeting.
• The Board of Trustees does not generally respond to public comments during the course of the meeting. The public comments portion of the meeting is intended as an opportunity for the public to make the Board members aware of public concerns and issues but is not intended for the Board to conduct a dialogue or debate with the public.

These rules may be suspended by motion and majority vote of the Board.

Approved by the Board of Trustees of the Cape Girardeau Public Library on March 2, 2023. Amended February 8, 2024.