The Ground Rules

Take part: meeting guide

Go to a meeting with one prepared question

City council, the school board and the Power Siting Board all set aside time for residents to speak. Each has its own rules for signing up and how long you get.

Last checked against sources on .

The short version

  • New Albany City Council: fill out a speaker slip from the clerk. You get at least 3 minutes.1
  • New Albany-Plain school board: register when you arrive. You get 5 minutes, and public participation is capped at 30 minutes in all.4
  • Power Siting Board local hearings: register when you arrive and testify under oath. Recent hearings here allowed 3 minutes per person.7,8
  • Write about 300 words, and time yourself reading it aloud. How

Find the agenda first

The agenda shows when residents can speak and what will be voted on that night.

City council
Council's rules say agendas are made available 7 days before regular meetings.1 Agendas and minutes are on the city's City Council Business page. Council usually meets the first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Village Hall.2
School board
Agendas are posted on the district's BoardDocs site. The board meets at least monthly, usually at 5:30 p.m., in the Board Conference Room of the Annex, 79 N. High St.5
Power Siting Board
The company must mail and publish a notice 7 to 14 days before the local public hearing, with its date, time and place.10 The board also announces each hearing in a news release.7

City council agendas have two places for residents: "Hearing of Visitors" near the start and "Poll for Public Comment" near the end.12 Our list of upcoming dates has the meetings and hearings we know about.

Sign-up and time limits

All three ask you to sign in at the meeting itself. None of them requires signing up in advance.

BodyHow to sign upTime you getThe rule
New Albany City CouncilFill out a speaker slip from the clerk of council in council chambers. For a hearing on legislation, turn it in before the Hearing of Visitors starts.1The presiding officer may set a limit, but not under 3 minutes per speaker. Total public comment time can be capped, with the rest moved to a later meeting.1Council Rules of Procedure, Rules 6 and 7, adopted Jan. 6, 2026
New Albany-Plain Board of EducationRegister when you arrive. You can't register someone else. Start by giving your name and address.45 minutes each, unless the presiding officer allows more. Public participation is limited to 30 minutes in all.4Bylaw 0169.1, revised Dec. 13, 2021
Ohio Power Siting Board local hearingRegister when you arrive. Witnesses testify in the order they register, and may be sworn in.7,93 minutes per witness at the 2026 hearings on NEO and PowerConneX 3. No state rule sets the limit, so it can change by case.7,8,9Ohio Revised Code 4906.08(C) and Ohio Administrative Code 4906-2-09
More detail: what each rule says

City council. Under the city charter, council sets its own rules for meetings and public hearings.3 Council adopted its 2026 rules on Jan. 6, raising the speaking time from 2 minutes to 3. The copy posted with that meeting's minutes is the marked-up draft, which council adopted as proposed. Rule 7 covers comments on matters other than legislation. The presiding officer may cut off comments that are "extensive, not germane to city government, or repetitive."1

School board. Anyone "having a legitimate interest in the actions of the Board" may speak. The bylaw doesn't limit comments to agenda items. Nobody may speak twice on the same topic until everyone else who wants to speak on it has been heard. Audio and video recording is allowed.4

Power Siting Board. State law says the board "shall accept written or oral testimony from any person at the public hearing." Only formal parties can question witnesses.6 The administrative law judge runs the hearing and can stop repetitive or irrelevant testimony.9 If you bring a document to back up your testimony, give a copy to the judge.7 You can also send a written comment instead. How to comment in writing

Keep it to two or three minutes

Write it out, then read it aloud with a timer. For most people, 250 to 350 words takes two to three minutes.

  1. Say who you are

    Give your name and where you live. The school board asks for your address.4

  2. Make one point

    Pick the one thing you most want them to hear. Tie it to an agenda item, a filing or a date if you can.

  3. Ask for one thing

    Ask a question, or ask for an action. Members may not answer on the spot, so you can ask for a written reply or for the item to go on a future agenda.

  4. Bring a printed copy

    Hand it to the clerk, or to the judge at a Power Siting Board hearing.7 If the timer runs out, the written copy still has everything you meant to say.

  5. Cut it once

    Read it aloud the night before. If it runs long, cut the background first and keep the request.

An example statement

This one is about 110 words, about a minute read aloud. It's for the public comment time at city council.

  • Example: New Albany City Council, Poll for Public Comment

    Good evening. My name is [your name], and I live on [your street] in New Albany.

    I'm here about the PowerConneX 3 gas plant. On Nov. 2, the city's lawyer signed a settlement asking the state to approve it.11 I couldn't find a council vote on that, or a public hearing before it was signed.

    I have one request. Before the city signs a settlement in any future power plant case, please hold a public hearing on it at a council meeting. Please post the settlement with the agenda a week ahead.

    I'd also like a written answer to one question: who authorized the Nov. 2 signature?

    Thank you.

Please don't read this example word for word. Speak about what matters to you, in your own words. What the city signed

More ways to take part

To comment in writing on the Socrates the Younger air permit by Dec. 3, see the comment guide. Join us for a reminder before each hearing.

Sources

  1. City of New Albany, Council minutes, organizational meeting, Jan. 6, 2026, with the attached "Rules of Procedure, New Albany, Ohio, City Council" (Rules 6, 7 and 10), adopted that night. (PDF)
  2. City of New Albany, "City Council Business," viewed Nov. 8, 2026. newalbanyohio.org
  3. City of New Albany Charter, Sections 4.05 and 6.03(B): council adopts its own rules of procedure, including for public hearings. (PDF)
  4. New Albany-Plain Local Schools Board of Education, Bylaw 0169.1, "Public Participation at Board Meetings," revised Dec. 13, 2021. go.neola.com
  5. New Albany-Plain Local Schools, BoardDocs public site, viewed Nov. 8, 2026. go.boarddocs.com
  6. Ohio Revised Code 4906.08(C). codes.ohio.gov
  7. OPSB news release, "OPSB schedules local hearing for proposed natural gas power plant in Licking County," case 26-361-EL-BGN (PowerConneX New Albany 3), Sept. 16, 2026. govdelivery.com
  8. OPSB news release on the local public hearing for case 26-627-EL-BGN (NEO), Aug. 18, 2026. govdelivery.com
  9. Ohio Administrative Code 4906-2-09, "Hearings." codes.ohio.gov
  10. Ohio Administrative Code 4906-3-09, "Public notice of accepted, complete applications." codes.ohio.gov
  11. Joint Stipulation and Recommendation, OPSB case 26-0361-EL-BGN, filed Nov. 2, 2026. PUCO docket
  12. City of New Albany, Council Meeting Agenda, Sept. 1, 2026. (PDF)