The strongest statement we can make to the City is to show up in person for City Council and Planning Commission meetings. They are accustomed to very light attendance, so it makes a real impression when a number of concerned citizens appear before them to make a statement. The best thing is to make a comment in the Public Comments at the beginning of each meeting. You can have up to five minutes to say anything you want to say to the City. They will not respond, they can only listen. But they will hear you. To make a comment, you need to fill out a form you will find on the back counter, to your right as you walk in the room. Fill out the form and hand it to the City Clerk. For those not comfortable speaking, it is enough to just be there in the audience. One of the speakers might ask for a show of hands at some point for those who oppose rezoning, so you can show your concerns that way.
You can also make a little sign that you can hold in your lap that simply says “No Rezone” or anything you like. (If you still have the large format mailer the golf courses sent to you, you can write your message on the back of the envelope and hold that up. It’s the perfect size, and the folded up poster inside gives it some stiffness so it doesn’t flop over.)
It takes less than ten minutes to get over to City Hall. Take Balfour towards downtown, left on Walnut, right on Oak, left on Second, and turn right behind the Civic Center to go into the parking garage. Park on the second floor (there is usually plenty of parking), go through the stair well, turn right to walk along the front of the building. Go through doors near the end of the walkway, walk through the lobby, the Council Chambers are on the left.
Planning Commission meetings are scheduled on first and third Tuesdays at 7:00 pm. City Council meetings are scheduled on second and fourth Tuesdays at 7:00 pm. There is no meeting if the month has a fifth Tuesday. The Public Comments work the same for both meetings.
Check the calendar before leaving to go to the meetings, as they are sometimes subject to last minute cancellation. The calendar for Brentwood city events is here:
If you cannot attend in person, you can still be heard: