Participating at Council Meetings

Public Comment at Council Regular Meetings

Public comment is welcome at Council Regular Meetings. At these meetings, there are two ways to share your comments:

  • If you want to provide comment about something that is not on the agenda, you'll do that at the beginning of the meeting.
  • If you want to provide comment about one of the discussion items on the agenda, you'll do that when the Council discusses that item.

If you can't attend the meeting but want to share your thoughts about an issue on the agenda, you can email the Mayor and Council as a group at mayorandcouncil@townofchapelhill.org. When you send to this group address, your email will become part of the public archive of Council correspondence. You can also contact the Mayor and Council Members individually.

Public Comment at Council Work Sessions

The public is encouraged to attend work sessions, but there is no public comment period. Work sessions are opportunities for Council and staff to have informal discussions about different topics, but they don't vote or take any action.  If you'd like to share your thoughts about an issue on the agenda at a Work Session, you can email the Mayor and Council at mayorandcouncil@townofchapelhill.org. When you send to this group address, your email will become part of the public archive of Council correspondence. You can also contact the Mayor and Council Members individually.

Petitions to the Town Council

As of November 12, 2025, the Chapel Hill Town Council only accepts petitions that fall under two specific categories authorized by North Carolina General Statutes:

1. Annexation Petitions

Under G.S. 160A-31, property owners may request that land contiguous to the Town’s boundaries be annexed into the Town. A valid annexation petition must be signed by all property owners within the area proposed for annexation and must include a legal description of the property boundaries. The Town Clerk is responsible for verifying the petition’s sufficiency before it is considered by the Council. Read the full statute (G.S. 160A-31)

2. Charter Amendment Petitions

Under G.S. 160A-104, residents may initiate a petition to amend the Town’s charter. A valid charter amendment petition must be signed by at least 10% of registered voters in the Town (or 5,000 voters, whichever is less). The petition must clearly describe the proposed amendment. If the petition is valid, the Council must call a special election to allow voters to decide on the proposed change. Read the full statute (G.S. 160A-104)

 

Status of Prior Petitions to Council

 

 

 

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