Have your say as a resident

Speaking during a roundtable discussion

During roundtable discussions, members of the municipal council prepare for council meetings. Roundtable discussions take place once every four to five weeks, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. in the council chamber of the town hall. On these evenings, topics that are on the agenda for the next council meeting are discussed. The council members gather information about these topics from the members of the mayor and aldermen and speakers and form their opinions on them.

During the roundtable discussion, you can join in the conversation at the table or speak into the standing microphone. A maximum of 30 minutes may be spent discussing each agenda item. Each speaker will be given a maximum of 5 minutes to make their contribution. If there are more than 6 speakers, the total time will be divided among the number of speakers.
If you have a lot of information to share, it is better to put it on paper so that it can be added to the minutes of the round table discussion.

Speaking at a council meeting

At the beginning of the council meeting, you can stand behind the microphone and speak to give your opinion on a topic on the agenda.

A total of 30 minutes may be spoken. Each speaker will be given a maximum of 5 minutes for their contribution. If there are more than 6 speakers, the total time will be divided among the number of speakers.

Have you already submitted your comments to the RTG?

You may only speak at the council meeting if you are sharing new information.

Register to speak during a roundtable discussion or council meeting

Would you like to exercise your right to speak during the council meeting or roundtable discussions? If so, you can register prior to the meeting. At the start of the meeting, the chair will ask if anyone would like to exercise their right to speak. You can also register by telephone or via griffie@westmaasenwaal.nl with the registrar's office before 4 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Please state your name, address, and telephone number, as well as the agenda item you wish to speak about.

Walk-in and public consultation meetings

When you speak during a roundtable discussion or council meeting, you are talking about a decision that has already been made. You are then at the end of the decision-making process.

Would you like to be involved in the discussion at the start of a decision-making process?

For some topics, the municipal executive organizes walk-in and public consultation meetings. These meetings often concern issues such as the redevelopment of a street or neighborhood. During these meetings, the preliminary plans are explained and residents are asked for their opinions and ideas. At that point, there is often more scope to incorporate your ideas.