“I was dumbfounded,” he said.

Hopping said he asked for the rule or ordinance that said he could not hand out his information but city officials would not respond.

Gormley said he also had literature but was told they could not hand it out.

“It was just really kind of surreal,” he said of the meeting. “You don’t expect that kind of atmosphere in a town hall or an open public meeting like that. I don’t know how else to describe it. I’ve seen a lot of meetings, I haven’t seen anything like that.”

Councilman Tim Lee said the meeting was an informational meeting only and that it was the same format as another meeting held last week. “Hindsight being 20/20, maybe we should have taken questions, I don’t know,” Lee said. “In respect of everyone else’s time, we have an hour to do what we’re gonna do.”