(ABC 6 News) – The Oronoco city council voted to remove its public forum period from its last meeting on Tuesday, October 15.

The motion was proposed by council member Paul Pendergrass, who when asked by Mayor Ryland Eichhorst why he made the motion, said it was “in case anyone’s got any negative comments that we don’t really need right now.”

Pendergrass proposed anyone with comments they would have shared during the public forum could write them down and have them read at the following city council meeting in November.

The motion passed in a 4-1 vote.

Mayor Eichhorst was the sole vote against the motion, saying it lacked transparency for residents.