Commissioners set time limits for Tuesday's Flock Camera Special Meeting

During Monday's Marshall County Commissioners meeting, the board established ground rules for Tuesday evening's highly anticipated special meeting on the Flock camera controversy, voting 2-1 to impose a two-hour time limit with public comments capped at three minutes each.

President Stan Klotz said he and Commissioner Jesse Bohannon had discussed the special meeting and "have a bit of an agreement" on how it should proceed — though the two ultimately split on the question of time limits.

Bohannon asked to have a representative from the Institute for Justice (IJ) speak during the special meeting. The Institute for Justice is a non-profit public-interest law firm that litigates nationwide to protect individual liberties, private property, and constitutional rights.

Klotz was willing to allow Bohannon to bring in a speaker, but he wanted to ensure that current Sheriff Matt Hassel and Sheriff-elect Les McFarland had the chance to voice their opinions, along with current Prosecutor Nelson Chipman and Prosecutor-elect Joe Morris, to discuss their thoughts on Flock cameras without any limitations.

Klotz said during the public meeting that he didn't want to sit all night hearing from people from outside Marshall County, since the Flock camera issue is a county concern. He suggested a two-hour time limit for the meeting and limiting public comments to county residents and only three minutes per person.

Klotz made the motion, and Commissioner Adam Faulstich seconded it. The measure passed 2-1, with Bohannon voting against the time limit.

Bohannon told GIANT FM WTCA that he believes the public deserves a full hearing.

"I think we need to hear from the people," Bohannon said. "Going in with a predetermined time when the meeting is going to end discourages public comment, especially if we might give half of the time to government."

The special meeting is set for Tuesday, October 6, at 6:00 p.m. in the second-floor meeting room of the County Building, 112 West Jefferson Street. The room can only accommodate 200 participants. The meeting is open to the public and will be live-streamed on the county's YouTube channel.