A first-term Denver City Council member was the driving force behind a new rule that soon will open the floor to the public once a month to talk about any city-related topic.

The rule, approved Monday night, falls short of practices in smaller nearby cities, including Aurora, Lakewood and Boulder. Those councils allow members of the public to chime in for two or three minutes apiece during every regular meeting. It’s less common for city councils in larger cities to allow general public comment — though some, including Seattle, allot time at every meeting.

Paul Kashmann was among seven new members elected last year. In presenting the resolution Monday, he said Denver’s new rule was an important step toward expanding access to city government. It passed in a unanimous block vote.

“There are 13 of us that generally sit up here on the dais,” Kashmann said. “There are 682,000 people living in the City and County of Denver, and I’m hopeful that providing this additional opportunity to hear from constituents will result in new ideas to make Denver an even greater place to live.”

At the end of the discussion about the rule change, Thad Tecza, who frequently speaks at committee meetings and designated public hearings for specific council agenda items, stood and applauded.

The open-mic sessions will be set the first meeting of each month starting July 11, since no council meeting is scheduled on the July 4 holiday.

The 30-minute period, with up to three minutes allotted to each speaker, will begin at 5 p.m., before the regular 5:30 p.m. council meeting gets underway. The rule says comments should address “any matter of city concern” except for matters that already are set for public hearings that night or at future meetings, such as zoning changes and landmark designations.

Council members won’t be required to attend, since no roll call will be taken.

But Councilman Rafael Espinoza, who wanted a stronger rule mandating attendance, and several colleagues said they looked forward to hearing what people had to say.

Four years ago, the council added 15-minute public hearings on some matters to committee meetings. At the time, its members didn’t support a general comment session at the full council meetings that occur each Monday, noted Robin Kniech, an at-large member who’s now in her second term.

But she observed that remarks from the public at committee hearings have prompted more extensive discussions among council members at times.

“And I think it’s given folks the chance not just to speak to us but to have their fellow citizens hear each other,” Kniech added, expressing hope that the new open-comment sessions would result in “constructive dialogue.”

How it will work: People who want to speak to the council can register between noon on the Friday before the first meeting of each month and 4:30 p.m. on the day of the meeting. They can visit the council’s office (on the City and County Building’s fourth floor), send an e-mail to dencc@denvergov.org or call 720-337-2000.

Council staff will post a list of speakers in order of registration. Since the comment session is limited to 30 minutes, it’s possible some may not get a chance to speak if too many sign up.