Tarrant commissioners consider cutting the public comment time at meetings
Tarrant County commissioners will decide on Tuesday whether to limit public speaker time to a maximum of three minutes for all items on the agenda. In the past, people have been allowed to sign up for multiple agenda items per meeting.
The proposed changes were introduced by Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, a Southlake Republican, who supported enacting a decorum policy in January 2025.
If the commissioners approve the change, there will be a designated public comment section at the beginning of the meeting, the only opportunity for meeting attendees to sign up and speak.
In prior agendas, the public comment section was the final item though attendees could sign up to speak on any number of agenda items and had three minutes for each.
The new policy would raise the threshold for O’Hare to shorten the time limit for speakers. The original rule was when 20 speakers signed up, each was given two minutes and when 40 or more speakers signed up, they got one minute.
Now, the public comment period would be limited to two minutes with 30 or more people signing up and one minute when 50 or more speakers sign up to speak.
About a dozen people regularly show up to Commissioners Court meetings to speak out. Beyond the agenda items, they often sound off about deaths in the jail, alleged free speech violations and the need for more voting locations. The meeting regulars are typically critical of the Republicans on the Commissioners Court and supportive of the Democrats.
Last fall, Commissioners Court meetings were reduced to once a month, down from two. Critics claimed this was to reduce transparency and public input. O’Hare said it was to lessen the burden on county staff making the agenda.
The Fort Worth City Council scaled back public comments for 2026 but reversed those decisions after public outcry about limiting free speech. Citizens who want to speak to the council at meetings get up to three minutes each and can speak at afternoon and evening City Council meetings. During those meetings, the same speaker can speak for up to three minutes for multiple items on the agenda. If there are so many registered speakers that public comments would exceed one hour, the City Council can vote to shorten the time limit, which used to be an automatic change.
The Tarrant County Commissioners will vote on the proposed policy changes at its 10 a.m. meeting, Tuesday, Feb. 10.
Matthew Adams contributed to this story.