GROVES — Every time Groves City Council meets there is a section on the agenda for “reports/citizen comments.”

Periodically, people will step up to the podium and address the council, an act that has become more frequent where talks of drainage issues, post-Harvey, are a hot button topic.

But recently the talk strayed into an area outside of bounds — negative comments about city employees and personnel issues — leading officials to have a quick discussion on managing discussions at open meetings during Monday’s council meeting.

According to state law, the public can attend a meeting but the Open Meetings Act does not entitle the public to choose the items to be discussed. Nor can the public speak about items on the agenda but the governing body can give the public the opportunity to speak at a public meeting.

Some cities have time constraints governing the frequency and length of presentations while others do not allow citizen comments during the meeting.

“The city of Groves has been very liberal with remarks from the public,” Groves City Manager D. Sosa said. “This (comments section) will stay there. Under the Open Meetings Act citizen comments have been limited to times on the agenda or we can listen to just about anything but not take action on it.”

Sosa said city officials will continue to guide the person to the right department when needed and if more discussion is needed, will put the item on the agenda for later.

“However, our practice has always been to listen and hear the citizen out,” he said. “There are going to be times, it’s happened once already, where a citizen comes in and talks about a personnel issue.”

This, he added, is nothing more than educating the council.

When it came time for councilmember comments, Councilmember Cross Coburn said it is the public’s right and privilege to speak and that the council works for the public, its constituents.

Mayor Brad Bailey said the issue is state law.

“After 18 years I have not denied anyone from speaking,” Bailey said.