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GREENSBORO — Got a beef with the City Council? Get it off your chest and go home.

Countering a decision made several weeks ago, the council on Tuesday night moved its public gripe session back to the beginning of its meetings.

Mayor Bill Knight had moved that session to the end of the meeting, saying last month that he wanted to do the city’s business first and then hear from residents.

But what council members have heard since then is a lot of protests from residents about putting their comments last.

After much debate Tuesday night, the City Council voted to hear speakers from the floor during the first 30 minutes of the council meeting.

The vote was a split decision, with members Trudy Wade, Zack Matheny, Mary Rakestraw and Knight voting against the change.

State law requires boards like the City Council to have a 30-minute session every month when residents can have their say. Greensboro residents use the time to air problems with the city, announce special events or thank leaders.

Under the former City Council, those sessions occasionally lasted hours.

In January, Knight moved the comment period toward the end of the agenda and put the business items first. He has limited comments to 30 minutes.

But his decision has been unpopular with people who have been concerned about stifling public expression.

The latest round of concerns came Tuesday night from the disabled riders of the city’s SCAT bus service, who said the change might make it more difficult for them to get a chance to speak if they have to wait until late in the evening.

Matheny suggested that the board should make a special exception for SCAT riders. But other council members said it wasn’t only bus riders who might have a hard time sticking around for the comment period at the end of the meeting.

Councilman Jim Kee asked the council to consider a compromise that would have the speakers at the beginning of the meeting only once a month.

Council members ultimately voted to keep the speakers to the first 30 minutes of the meeting — overruling the mayor.

Some members continued to be concerned that the public comment period may overwhelm the council meetings.

“We can’t do it in 30 minutes. I don’t believe that any council member on this board is going to stop engaging speakers from the floor,” Councilwoman Trudy Wade said. “We are going to engage, and we are going to be here for an hour or two.”

Matheny asked the council to consider not televising the comment period in order to prevent people from using the podium for publicity purposes. But he ultimately rescinded that request after some council members said they didn’t like the idea.

“We have all talked a lot of about openness and honesty and transparency,” Councilwoman Nancy Vaughan said. “I think we could be criticized for not televising speakers from the floor.”

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com