They also amended meeting rules to bar the mayor from reducing speakers\u2019 time allotments unless by a majority vote of the council.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fort Worth resident William Winston told council members that the changes help \u201crestore our faith in your goodwill.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would ask that you pay primary attention to what is being said to you, separate and distinct from who is saying it, how they are saying it and what they look like,\u201d Winston said. \u201cThe heart of these comments is in the words. If you pay attention to the words, you will inescapably feel the emotions, commitments and hopes of the speakers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new schedule came after months of criticism<\/a> from residents of the original 2026 meeting calendar that reduced public comment opportunities<\/a> from 15 in 2025 to 10 this year. Council members in favor of the reduction said at the time that residents could meet privately with the elected officials or speak at other public meetings.\u00a0<\/p>\n Before the vote, two dozen residents implored council members to approve the changes, add the amendment on time limits, introduce options for residents to speak remotely and allow speakers at the beginning of meetings instead of the end. No one spoke in opposition to the new schedule.<\/p>\n In September, when they adopted the 2026 schedule, council members gave the mayor the authority to extend or reduce speakers\u2019 time limits<\/a>, particularly if the number of registered speakers would result in more than one hour of comment time.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, speakers saw their time limited to two minutes for the second week in a row \u2014 a reduction from the three-minute time limit that was standard in 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n Council member Elizabeth Beck proposed the change to the time limit rules. Several speakers said it was difficult to plan out comments when they aren\u2019t sure how long they\u2019ll be allowed to speak \u2014 a point Beck said moved her.<\/p>\n \u201cTonight\u2019s vote is about growth, and it\u2019s about growth for this council, and it\u2019s about growth for the city,\u201d Beck said. She then added, \u201cWhat you see here with this vote is our growth as a council, realizing that we didn\u2019t get it right, listening to the voices of the people, doing our best to try to make that right.\u201d<\/p>\n Fort Worth resident Allison Fitzgerald told council members they often look \u201cpretty bored\u201d while listening to public comments. She urged them to be more engaged.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI believe that I add value to this city,\u201d Fitzgerald said, placing her hand on her chest. Gesturing to the audience, she added, \u201cI believe these people add value to the city.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Speakers asked for audience members to be allowed to react to other speakers\u2019 comments with clapping, finger snapping or other forms of expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tuesday night\u2019s meeting opened with a preamble from City Secretary Jannette Goodall, who read aloud the rules of decorum for attendees and speakers in the council chambers, including a warning that people who disrupt the meeting could be removed or arrested<\/a>. Prior to this month, such rules were not typically read aloud.<\/p>\n Council member Charlie Lauersdorf, who supported the meeting reduction in September, said that after giving the matter thought, he looks forward to hearing peoples\u2019 comments and suggestions on issues that he feels are in the domain of City Hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure, however this goes forward, there will still be those public comments that are kind of \u2018out there,\u2019 but again, absolutely (it\u2019s) everyone\u2019s right for those,\u201d Lauersdorf said.<\/p>\n Council member Chris Nettles said he\u2019s open to exploring the possibility of moving the time for public comments toward the beginning of the meeting agenda, noting that prior to Tuesday, he didn\u2019t know that was a desire from the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fort Worth resident Denise Gordon said moving the time to speak earlier in the meeting would make it easier for her to attend without worrying about how late a council meeting will drag on.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m totally night blind, so I\u2019ve gotta drive real slow back to my house,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaker Skyler Thiot told the council that after one year of living in Fort Worth, he feels \u201cmore civic pride\u201d for the city than he did for Plano where he lived for 20 years or Dallas where he lived for 10. He said it should be easy for residents to speak at council meetings, and people\u2019s comments should be prioritized.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s more we can do,\u201d Thiot said. \u201cWe can make the city even better for my daughter, who loves it as well and, hopefully, will be up here someday as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Cecilia Lenzen and Drew Shaw are government accountability reporters for the Fort Worth Report. Contact them at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org<\/a> and drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0113-FWCityCouncil-09--1024x683.jpg\")
Attendees clap their hands during public comment at a Fort Worth City Council meeting on Jan. 13, 2026. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n![\"(Maria](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0113-FWCityCouncil-08-1-1-1024x683.jpg\")
Speakers during public comment are allotted two minutes to speak at a Fort Worth City Council meeting on Jan. 13, 2026. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/101425-Public-comment-21--1024x683.jpg\")
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Fort Worth City Council voted to pass CP-335 on Jan. 13, 2026. This agenda item adopted a resolved 2026 City Council meeting calendar. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n