A public hearing is different than and public meeting. A public meeting is an open meeting where the public is invited to attend. A hearing on the other hand is a public meeting where the public is invited to attend and provide comment.
Both are openly advertised but public hearings solicit public input on either legislative matters of policy or legal rights. Hearing proceedings are presided over by a hearing officer who clarifies the rules and agenda–which may include a time limit on spoken comments that are received by the public. A stenographer or video and/or audio recording may be used to capture comments.
Venues should be accessible for all persons and reasonable accommodations, such as language-translation, should be available with advance coordination.
