Des Moines City Council plans to reconsider its policy on public comments at its meetings Shelby Fleig, Des Moines Register How COVID-19 has impacted downtown Des Moines Replay Video UP NEXT The Des Moines City Council plans to once again reconsider its policy on public remarks during meetings following surging participation that recently left residents with only 25 seconds to address their representatives. The council severely restricted the public speaking portion of its meetings to only 30 minutes after an August meeting dragged on for 14 hours over two days, during which many of the city's residents rebuked the council's approval of the purchase of $99,000 in ammunitions for the Des Moines Police Department. The rule resulted in 25 seconds of speaking time for the 71 people who'd signed up to speak at the council's last meeting, on April 19.