QUINCY, IL -- A Quincy man wants to ensure all citizens have the right to speak at the City Council.

You'll recall people were fuming after a Quincy city council meeting in May.

That's when a split party line vote denied resident Steve McQueen the opportunity to address the council.

Now Quincy resident Mike Black hopes to prevent that from happening again.

Not long ago he presented a petition to the city council to allow for a public forum during each council meeting.

He says that would allow all residents to voice their concerns.

Mayor John Spring then directed corporation counsel Andrew Staff to draft an ordinance.

But the city's drafted ordinance only allows for public input at a separate time and place, with access to only a couple city council members at a time, rather than at the actual city council meetings.

In response Black tried to submit his own ordinance for the council's consideration.

But the city says only the corporation counsel can draft ordinances.

That means Black's desire to ensure all residents have the right to address the council has been put on hold.

Mike Black said, "Surprises me that this wasn't a slam dunk. A week after Steve McQueen was denied. To have this not fully endorsed by Mayor and Council is surprising to me. If you can't get public forum in the city council meeting, I don't know what chance you have to get anything significant done in this city which is the complaint of many people."

KHQA spoke with Staff right before Monday night's Quincy City Council meeting.

He preferred not to go on camera, but he told KHQA he was was given no direction for how the council members wanted to draft the ordinance.

He says he has sent the draft of the ordinance to Mayor John Spring for his consideration.

KHQA also spoke with Spring earlier Monday afternoon about the status of the ordinance.

Spring said, "We really have not set down and looked at this as a committee or a council. I'm not certain of the time span we're required on this. There was really no direction given. I took it upon myself to ask corporation counsel to take a look at it. We're still in the process of doing that."

In the city of Quincy the actual council agenda is set by either the mayor or the City Clerk