When local government meets
Every board in Haywood County that decides things in public: when it meets, where, and what it takes to stand up and say something. Anyone can attend. You don't need an invitation and you don't need to be on the agenda.
Before you drive. Schedules and public-comment rules below come from each board's own published sources, and meeting times move, especially around holidays — check the agenda link before you go.
County-wide
These two decide for the whole county, whichever town you live in.
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Haywood County Board of Commissioners
1st Monday of the month, 9 AM; 3rd Monday, 5:30 PM
Historic Courtroom, Haywood County Courthouse, 215 N Main Street, Waynesville, NC 28786
- County Manager's Office / Clerk to the Board: 828-452-6625
How public comment works
One public comment period per regular meeting — none at Special Meetings or Work Sessions unless the Board approves one. Sign up on a card at the speaker's podium at least ten minutes before the meeting starts; no online form. Each speaker gets three minutes, states their name and address, and can't yield time to another speaker. Stick to matters within the Board's authority — no candidate campaigning, and speakers will be courteous in their language and presentation. The Board usually just listens during comment; if an issue needs follow-up, they typically refer it to the County Manager rather than act on it that night.
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Haywood County Schools Board of Education
2nd Monday of the month, 7 PM
ITC Conference Room, 161 Bryson Street, Waynesville, NC 28786
- Central Office: 828-456-2400
How public comment works
Speakers get a combined thirty-minute open-comment window, three minutes each. Individual students or staff can't be named or discussed during open comment — that's blocked under student-privacy law (FERPA), not board preference; contact the superintendent's office directly about a specific personnel or student concern instead. The board's page doesn't publish a sign-up form or an advance deadline for speaking.
Your town
Streets, water, zoning, and police inside town limits get decided here.
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Canton Board of Aldermen
2nd and 4th Thursday of the month, 6 PM
Town Hall, 85 Summer Street, Canton, NC 28716
- Town Clerk (Sam Dunbar): 828-648-2363
How public comment works
The town doesn't publish comment rules — call the Town Clerk before the meeting to ask how they're handling public comment that night.
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Clyde Board of Aldermen
2nd Thursday of the month, 5 PM
Conference Room, Clyde Town Hall, 8437 Carolina Blvd, Clyde, NC 28721
- Town Hall: 828-627-2566
How public comment works
The town doesn't publish comment rules — call the clerk before the meeting to ask how they're handling public comment that night. Agendas are posted the day before the meeting.
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Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen
Agenda-setting/work session: 1st Tuesday of the month, 10 AM (no public comment). Regular meeting with public comment: 2nd Tuesday, 6 PM
Board Room, Town Hall, 3987 Soco Road, Maggie Valley, NC 28751
- Town Clerk: 828-926-0866 ext. 105
How public comment works
The town doesn't publish comment rules — call the Town Clerk before the regular monthly meeting (the second-Tuesday one; the first-Tuesday agenda-setting session doesn't include public comment) to ask how they're handling it that night.
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Waynesville Town Council
2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, 6 PM
Board Room, Town Hall, 9 South Main Street, Waynesville, NC 28786
- Town Clerk (Candace Poolton): 828-452-2491
How public comment works
One comment period at the start of each regular meeting: thirty minutes total, three minutes per speaker, no one may speak twice. Before the meeting is called to order, submit a completed request card (name plus the general topic) to the Town Clerk — there's no published minutes-in-advance deadline, just get it in before the gavel. State your name and whether you live inside town limits when called up. You can share facts or opinions on anything within the Council's authority, but can't question the Mayor or Council directly or make personal attacks.
Say your piece
Most people who speak at these meetings have never done it before. Write down the one thing you want on the record, say it, and sit down. Where a board publishes rules, speakers get three minutes; where it doesn't, the card says to ask the clerk.
Speak to the commissionersSpeak at your town meetingSpeak to the school board
About these listings
Schedules, locations, and public-comment rules come from each board's own published pages and rules documents — the sources are listed on every card, with the date each was last checked. Boards change their calendars, so the agenda link is always the last word. Spot something out of date? Tell us.