Eckhardt tweaks public communications rules

Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt kicked off Tuesday’s regular voting session of the Travis County Commissioners Court with a small change in policy. Prompted by regular visitations from residents who use the meetings’ public communication times as a soapbox to vent about issues that aren’t particularly germane to county business, Eckhardt announced that she would strictly enforce standing rules that require communicants to stay on topic, and she punctuated the warning with the threat of a contempt of court citation. Eckhardt also said that public communications would now be heard at the very beginning of each meeting instead of after proclamations and resolutions. While the comments will still be officially recorded for posterity’s sake, they will no longer be broadcast live on Travis County Television. After Eckhardt announced the changes, she opened up the floor to a series of communicants, none of whom violated the rules.