Schuylkill County commissioners are considering a set of strict rules for people commenting at their public meetings.

The commissioners expect to vote on the proposal when they meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23.

Under the proposed rules, the commissioners chairman would be able to rule any comments out-of-order if, in his or her opinion, the comment “relates to personal gossip, is untenable, is scandalous, insulting, malicious, slanderous, libelous, defamatory, inappropriate, irrelevant or redundant, or have the discernible purpose or affect which is to disrupt or needlessly protract the proceedings of the meeting.”

The chairman also would be able to ask anyone to leave the meeting if he or she fails to observe reasonable decorum, and would be able to contact security or law enforcement to that end.

The chairman also would be able to contact security or law enforcement to remove a disorderly person when his or her conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting.

The chairman also would be able to call a recess or adjourn the meeting to another time when the lack of public decorum interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting.

There would be one time designated at the beginning of each meeting for people to comment on both agenda matters and for matters of concern, official actions or deliberations which are not on the agenda.

The agendas are published by 10 a.m. the day before the meeting on the county website, https:/schuylkillcountypa.gov/. Scroll to the meeting calendar and click on the meeting date to access the agendas.

Commenters would continue to be required to state their names and home municipalities and be recognized by the chairman before they speak.

The three-minute time limit per speaker would continue.

“We’re not cutting off anybody’s right to comment,” said Assistant Solicitor Paul Datte.

He said that because some people were using others’ emails to submit comments; the county would no longer require comments to be submitted by email or writing.

The proposed new rules are similar to those adopted by commissioners in October 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic changed how meetings were attended.

Absent from the new rules is one requiring people to inform officials before recording public meetings.

The rules were adopted in 2020 and are again proposed in light of criticism of county officials by Port Carbon resident Jeffrey Dunkel, who is seeking a seat on the board next year.

Dunkel and Clerk of Courts Maria T. Casey have, at almost every meeting, taken county officials to task over sexual harassment accusations against commissioner George F. Halcovage Jr. by four women who work at the courthouse.

They contend Halcovage sexually harassed and intimidated them from 2012, when he was first elected.

The women have filed a federal lawsuit, which is wending its way through the Middle District court in Scranton.

Two of the women contend they’ve been subjected to retaliation for the suit, losing their jobs and being accused of misusing the county’s sophisticated database search engine, LexisNexis.

The matter has reached the state level, where lawmakers are considering impeaching Halcovage.

Casey, an attorney, has been a strong and vocal advocate for the women.