Public Speaking is the number one fear among most Americans, unless it's a city commission meeting somewhere in Volusia County. There's the number one fear is not getting their 3 to 5 minutes.

It is for that reason that a few cities are struggling with how to maintain the balance between the public right to be heard on important public policy issues, and simple bloviating

Having attended my share of these sessions over the years I grew weary of the same 5 to 6 people who got up every time a vote was to be taken to give their views on the issue.. Sometimes it was justifiable. Often it was an obstructionist move.

For that reason cities like Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach have placed time limits on speakers. They have moved public comment times around so they could get agenda items heard and passed,

Don't get me wrong, elected leaders should hear from citizens, but there are limits. Here's what I think.

After commission airing, the public views should be heard before the vote is taken. If the public wants to speak about a non agenda item, allowing public comments at the end of the meeting. It will help to keep meeting times from running past midnight. In Daytona Beach., after years of no limits, they moved to the three minute rule. But recently public comments on a variety of issues have ballooned speakers up to dozens more in each meeting sending meetings later into the evening, when everyone frankly is too tired to think clearly. If an issue is so publicly charged that 90 people want to speak, the issue should be broken out to a work shop or a special meeting. A vote which gets that many people up in arms apparently needs more imput.

And Randy Hayes, City Attorney of Ormond Beach is right, there is no state statute that requires citizens to be heard every meeting for non agenda items. It has been done as a courtesy.