FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The public now has a place on the agenda of City Council meetings.

Until the upcoming meeting, the written agenda did not usually include an item for public comment. Instead, at the end of meetings, the council president would ask if anyone had something to say, and occasionally someone would stand up and speak for the allotted three minutes.

But on the Nov. 24 meeting agenda, an item called “Public Participation” is listed, showing two names and topics: Paul Ripp regarding the Publix construction project and Larry Thomas of the Fairhope Single Tax Corp.

“I would like to be placed on the next City Council agenda to address complaints about (the) Publix project,” Ripp’s Nov. 12 request to the council reads.

During the organizational meeting of the council on Nov. 3, Council President Debbie Quinn proposed that a section on public participation be put in the middle of the agenda, “so that citizens could comment on what the committees have been or are doing and would be coming up next on the agenda.”

She said the rest of the council wanted it at the end, so that’s where it was placed.

“Public participation is just another way of saying public comments,” Quinn said. “I will let those who have signed up ahead of time speak first, and then open the floor for any other citizens who want to speak.”

Ripp has been a vocal critic of the Publix project, stating publicly that he is considering filing a lawsuit regarding what he says are violations of law at the site.

He is currently involved in litigation against the city, contesting a ruling of the Planning and Zoning Commission that denied his plan to subdivide property he owns. His appeal of that decision to state circuit court is pending.

Other changes

The addition of an item for public participation is one of several changes to the format of the council’s agenda.

This Monday’s agenda includes as a regular item, for the first time, reports from standing committees and special boards and commissions.

Quinn said the new ordinance of rules and procedures adopted by the recently-elected council sets out the order for the agenda to include these new items.

“Daphne’s agenda is done this same way, and after viewing theirs in the newspaper, I felt that this was a good way to help promote more transparency in government by including our committees and their minutes for the council to read and review,” Quinn said. “This way everyone is kept in the loop, and if there are questions to a committee about what they are accomplishing, then everyone has the minutes and the opportunity to ask questions.”

The Nov. 24 agenda includes the review of minutes from the following municipal bodies: Finance Committee, Planning and Zoning Commission, Board of Adjustments and Appeals, Fairhope Airport Authority, Recreation Board, Recycling Committee, Historic Fairhope Preservation Committee, Fairhope Tree Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and the Growth and Sustainability Study Group.

“With two new council members and a new council president, change should be expected,” Councilman Dan Stankoski said. “A new council president would put their own mark on the meetings. These might be procedural or other changes. The important thing is that the business of running the city is accomplished in the best manner and not that a change has been made or looking back and saying, ‘but we always did it this or that way."

Also on Monday’s agenda is an item for final adoption of an ordinance to remove the appointing authority from the mayor for most city manager positions and placing it within the discretion of the council.

The council is also expected to appoint three remaining positions on the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. According to city records, the persons nominated for those vacancies include the following: John Brown, Pam Caudill, Phil Dyson, Paulette Fedor, Betsy Hunter, Bob Mannich, John Meyer, Diane Thomas and Louis Zadnichek.

The City Council meets 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, in council chambers at the Civic Center. The council will hold a work session on water and sewer infrastructure at 4:45 p.m., in the conference room, 161 N. Section St.