TRENTON, Ohio — Members of Trenton City Council debated, changed and walked back restrictions on who can speak at public meetings and how at a special meeting Thursday.
The change came less than a week after limitations were rolled out on March 5.
The rules were established after a series of heated meetings and a public forum on the development of a nearly one-million-square-foot Prologis data center project in Trenton.
Originally, the rules would have limited speakers to three minutes, forced speakers to sign up 10 minutes before the meeting begins, forced council members not to respond to questions or comments during a speaker's time and limited public comments only to people who live inside Trenton's city limits.
Speakers called for change at Thursday's meeting.
"I don't think we're being great neighbors to people who live near us," said Angie Marcum. "What happened at the last meeting is more proof of that. We are the bad neighbors."
WATCH: People ask for the right to be heard before Trenton City Council
During her time at the podium, Lebanon resident Kim Georgeton told council members she had sent each of them a notice that she would sue if the rules remained in place as written.
We asked her why she was on the verge of litigation.
"Because it was serious being locked out of conversations," Georgeton said.
Trenton Vice Mayor Floyd Croucher acknowledged the tension brought about by his proposal.
"Is it perfect? No. Are we going to make it better? Yes, we are. That's why we're here," Croucher said.
Mayor Ryan Perry said it was clear some guardrails needed to be put in place to prevent back-and-forth arguments between speakers, council members and even people in the crowd.
"If you saw what happened at the last meeting, I mean, I almost had to throw my dad out. We need to be respectful," Perry said.
After an extended debate, the council settled on a series of new rules.
A three to five-minute time limit would remain in place at the discretion of the presiding officer.
Council scrapped the requirement that anyone who wanted to sign up 10 minutes before the meeting. Instead, they decided that those who sign up get to speak first before an open comment period.
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A limit on council members addressing public comment while a speaker is within their time was kept in place, with an additional limit added to prevent speakers from addressing other members of the public in the crowd.
Perry and other members of council said they wanted to remove the rule limiting comment only to "citizens" of Trenton, but a review of the city's ordinances found that an amendment would need to be passed to do so.
The possibility of that amendment will be placed on the next meeting agenda.
Perry said the ordinance would be passed as an emergency measure to ensure it takes effect immediately, allowing people who live outside of Trenton to address the council once more.
