Frisco City Council Removes General Public Comment From Agendas Indefinitely

Frisco City Council will no longer allow general public comment at its meetings unless the comment relates to a specific agenda item, Mayor Jeff Cheney announced during the June 2, 2026 council meeting. The change took effect immediately and will remain in place indefinitely.

TL;DR

• Mayor Cheney announced June 2 that the citizen-input portion of the agenda is suspended indefinitely.
• Residents may still speak only on items already listed on the agenda for that meeting.
• Cheney described the move as a safety and decorum measure, not a First Amendment issue.
• A new mayor will be elected June 13 and the incoming council can revisit the policy.

What changed

In Frisco's prior practice, the agenda included a general citizen-input section that allowed residents to speak briefly to the council on topics outside the meeting agenda. That section is now removed. According to reporting by Community Impact, Cheney said at the June 2 meeting:

Normally we have citizen input on the agenda that allows people to speak on non-agenda items; we do not have that on our agenda this evening nor will we have it on our agendas for the foreseeable future.

Residents may still address the council, but only on items that are formally placed on a future agenda. General community concerns and topics not tied to an agenda item are no longer eligible for public testimony at the dais.

How Cheney framed the decision

Cheney tied the change to recent meetings in which speakers addressed the council on subjects unrelated to council business, including national and demographic issues that drew large crowds and, at times, contentious exchanges.

We have been hearing from our residents overwhelmingly they want the business of the city of Frisco to come back and the decorum in council chambers to come back.

Quite frankly it's moved beyond a First Amendment issue and has become a safety issue. We will return to civil discourse.

The Texas Open Meetings Act does not require a city to provide a general public-comment period beyond comment on posted agenda items, so the change is permitted under state law.

How this fits with the April decorum rules

The June 2 announcement extends a package of decorum rules the council approved at an April meeting. Those April changes restricted certain behaviors during meetings, including:

• Disruptive or unruly behavior, including the use of disruptive props.
• Electronic devices used to impede or disrupt a meeting.
• Signs, placards, posters, and banners displayed in the meeting room.
• Threatening speech not protected by the First Amendment.
• Physically approaching the council beyond the designated speaker location without permission.

What is still under discussion

Council members are weighing additional procedural changes that have not yet been adopted. Per Community Impact, those still under consideration include:

• Reducing speaking time from five minutes to three minutes for all speakers.
• Requiring electronic registration before meetings begin.
• Shortening the time allowed for speakers using a translator from 10 minutes to six.

What happens next

Frisco voters will elect a new mayor on June 13, 2026, the runoff date for the seat being vacated by the term-limited Cheney. Cheney said the incoming council can revisit how the city handles general public comment after the new mayor takes office. Residents who wish to raise issues outside the agenda framework can still contact council members and staff directly through email, phone, or the MyFrisco app, according to the city.

References

Douty, S. (2026, June 3). Frisco removes public input from council agendas indefinitely. Community Impact. https://communityimpact.com/dallas-fort-worth/frisco/government/2026/06/03/frisco-removes-public-input-from-council-agendas-indefinitely/

Texas Legislative Council. (n.d.). Texas Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551, Government Code. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.551.htm

City of Frisco. (2026). Get Involved: City Council meetings. https://www.friscotexas.gov/1827/Get-Involved