Iron River City Council: Public Comment Policy

The government of Iron River, Michigan, prohibits people from making public comments during city council meetings that contain “profanity, racial, ethnic, religious, sexual or national origin slurs or overtones,” or “defaming or slanderous personal attacks.”

Following community member Timmothy Ballinger’s removal from a city council meeting after he criticized the mayor, FIRE wrote a letter to the city council on November 2, 2026, condemning its removal of Ballinger and urging it to bring its policies and practices into constitutional compliance.