CITY COUNCIL MEETING RULES OF ORDER
The City Council adopts Ro senberg’s Rules of Order (attached) to govern the proceedings of City Council meetings, with the following exceptions and additions:
1. Suspension of the Rules. A supermajority of the City Council (4 members) may suspend the rules for a specific purpose. When rules are suspended, the vote to do so should state the purpose for suspending the rules.
2. Special Orders of the Day. Ceremo nial presentations, announcements and proclamations under Special Orders of the Day shall be limite d to no more than fifteen (15) minutes as required by the Sunshine Ordinance. Staff and/or the Mayor will work to prepare recipients prior to the meeting.
3. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Matters. Anyone wishing to speak on matters not on the agenda may do so under “Oral Communication, Non-Agenda.” Speakers Comments shall be limited comments to three (3) minutes if there are less than five (5) speakers or limited to two (2) minutes or lessif there are five (5) or more speakers . As required by the Sunshine Ordinance, the meeting agenda shall provide up to fifteen (15) minutes for this use at the be ginning of the meeting. Any speakers not called will be called under the later scheduled non-agenda public comment. Speakers may comment only once on the same topic even where multiple meetings are held on the same day. No speaker may cede time to another.
4. Consent Calendar Items. Agenda items listed under the Consent Calendar are considered routine and w ill be enacted, approved, or adopted by one motion without discussion. Members of the public can may comment once on the entire Consent Calendar, but each speaker’s . comments shall be limited to three (3) minutes if there are less than five (5) speakers or Public comments shall be limited to two (2) minutes or lessif there are five (5) or more speakers . No speaker may cede time to another. Any Councilmember may request removal of a specif ic item for discussion or explanation.
Councilmembers can record a vote other than aye wW ithout removing/”pulling” an item from the Consent Calendar, . The removed/“pulled” item will be voted on separately. Any Councilmember may speak for up to three (3) minutes to ask clarifying questions, make brief comments or record a vote other than aye. If any Councilmember requests to have a presentation and discussion of a Consent Calendar item, it will be heard after regular agenda items and prior to the vote on the item Eeach Councilmember may ask questions and deliberate for up to five (5) minutes on each the item removed/”pulled” from the Consent Calendar.
5. Public Comment on Regular Agenda Items and Council Referrals. Public comment will be allowed on all agenda items at the time each item is called. All speakers, regardless of elected or appointed status, shall limit comments to three (3) minutes or if there are less than five (5) speakers. Comments shall be or limited to two (2) minutes for items with fiveseven ( 75) or more speakers. No speaker may cede time to another. Public comment is not permitted on motions. Presentations and Council questions precede public comment. Public comment shall not be used to elicit a debate and speakers shall are strongly encouraged to avoid personal attacks of members of the Council, staff or public.
6. Presentations. All presentations, exc ept Council Referrals, are limited to 10 minutes and will be timed. Council Referral presentations are limited to five (5) minutes and shall be timed. Councilme mbers should refrain from asking questions during presentations. The Mayor's State of the City Address shall not be timed.
7. Council Questions and Comments. Ea ch Councilmember may ask questions and deliberate for up to nine (9) minutes per regular agenda item and up to three (3) minutes per Council Referral. Procedural discussions are not timed. Special meetings and workshops addressing one topic, taking place on a day no other Council meeting is taking place where regular City business is being considered, also will not be timed.
8. Council Communications. Councilmembers can speak under Council Communications for up to nine (9) minutes.
9. Counting Votes. The vote count on a motion will be determined by the majority of the membership unless a greater threshold is required by law. A supermajority is two- thirds of the City Council (4 members).
10. Reviewing, Changing or Rescinding Prior Council Actions. A motion to reconsider any action taken by the Council at that meeting may be made only on the date the action was taken. It may be made either immediately during the same session, or at a recessed or adjourned session thereof. Such motion must be made by one (1) of the prevailing side, and may be made at any time and have precedence over all other motions or while a member has the floor; it shall be debatable . A Council motion, direction, or decision to place an item on an agenda at a future meeting to review, change or rescind a prior Council action or decision, or an item that otherwise is placed on a Council meeting agenda to review, change or rescind a prior Coun cil action or decision (for example, by staff or a Council referral), shall not be deemed, interpreted, or construed as reconsideration of the prior action or decision and thus shall not require the passage of a motion for reconsideration by a supermajority vote.
1011. Latest Time a New Agenda Item May Be Called. No new Consent Calendar items, regular agenda items, or Council Referrals will be heard after 11:00 p.m.