City of Camarillo
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
Section: City Council Date Adopted: December 1988 Last Amended: October 22, 2025
Subject: City Council Meetings
Number: 1.05 Page 1 of 4
PURPOSE
To establish guidelines for conducting City Council meetings.
POLICY
A. Meeting Dates and Times
1. The City Council meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month unless the public is otherwise noticed.
2. Regularly scheduled Council meetings begins at 5:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Closed Sessions will be scheduled as noticed on the meeting agenda. The City Council will recess as necessary.
B. Rules of Order
Council meetings are conducted in a manner generally consistent with Rosenberg’s Rules of Order, except as provided herein, and in compliance with state law.
C. Presiding Officer
The Mayor is the presiding officer at Council meetings. In the Mayor’s absence, the Vice Mayor is the presiding officer.
D. Quorum
Three members of the Council constitute a quorum. On most matters, a majority of the quorum is sufficient for the Council to take action. However, on some matters, as provided by applicable law, a vote of the majority of the total membership or greater is required for the Council to take action.
E. Public Participation
1. Consistent with the requirements of the Brown Act, members of the public may address the City Council on agenda items, items set for public hearing, and non-agenda items during general public comment.Members of the public may address the City Council on agenda items, on items set for public hearing, and on non-agenda items during public comments.
1. 2. In order to address the City Council, a speaker
card should be filled out and given to the City
Clerk prior to start of the item. Speaker cards
for both verbal and non-verbal communication
are available in the Council Chambers.
3. Members of the public will usually be called to speak in the order in which their cards were submitted and under the appropriate item on the agenda. a. Each speaker should be asked, but is not required, to give his or her name for the record.
a) Written communications may be submitted in a manner established by the City and will be provided to the City Council.
a) b. Verbal comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker for each agenda item. In-person speakers will be recognized prior to remote speakers. Requests to comment on multiple Consent Calendar items will be allotted a single combined time period to address all such items. b) The presiding officer may adjust speaker time limits during the meeting, provided such adjustments remain reasonable, viewpoint-neutral, and are applied uniformly.
Speakers are limited to three minutes each. At the Mayor’s discretion, a speaker’s time limit may be extended.
4. Members of the public will be allowed to submit only one speaker card per agenda item.
5. Non-verbal comment cards will be provided to the Council for review.
6. Members of the public may also submit written communications prior to or during a Council meeting.
1. 7. MembersThe presiding officer will warn members of the public who engage in any disorderly conduct which disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of a Council meeting will be removedprior to asking for their removal by the Sergeant of Arms.
2. 8. Public Comments – Non-Agenda Items
The Council will hear public comments on non-agenda items during the General Public Comment time for a maximum of 20 minutes. If additional speakers wish to address the Council following the 20-minute time period, further comments will be taken following completion of action on all other agenda items.
3. 9. Public Hearings
a) 1. Public hearings are heard in order of the meeting agenda, or as legally advertised. Time-certain public hearings will be scheduled at the City Manager’s discretion with set time clearly indicated on the published agenda.
b) 2. Public hearings will be conducted as follows:
a. Staff will first present a staff report summarizing the matter, followed by Council questions.
b. Unless otherwise disclosed in the agenda materials or disclosed by the public during the public hearing,
Councilmembers must disclose any personal meetings or
contacts with the applicant, its representatives, or other organized groups regarding the subject matter of the hearing. c. Unless otherwise included in the agenda materials or presented during the public hearing, Councilmembers should disclose any significant relevant information received from members of the public outside of the public hearing.
d. The public hearing will be opened by the Mayor, or by designee.
e. An applicant who desires to speak is then permitted to make a presentation to Council.
f. Members of the public are permitted to speak next on the matter.
g. Following public comments, the applicant is given an opportunity for closing comments.
h. The Mayor, or designee, will close the public hearing. i. Staff will respond to questions raised during the public hearing, as well as any additional Council questions.
j. Council deliberation will follow without further input from the applicant or the public, unless specifically requested by Council.
1. Technology Disruptions Affecting Public Participation In accordance with Government Code section 54953.4, and except as otherwise provided by law, the City Council shall take reasonable steps to ensure continuation of remote public participation access to meetings during telephonic or internet service.
a. If a disruption of telephonic or internet service prevents members of the public from attending or observing the
meeting via the two-way telephonic service or two-way
audiovisual platform occurs during the meeting, the City Council shall recess the open session of the meeting for at least one hour and make a good faith attempt to restore the service. The City Council may meet in closed session during this period. The City Council shall not reconvene the open session of the meeting until at least one hour following the disruption, or until telephonic or internet service is restored, whichever is earlier.
a. Upon reconvening the open session, if telephonic or internet service has not been restored, the City Council shall adopt a finding by roll call vote that good faith efforts to restore the telephonic or internet service have been made in accordance with the policy and that the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote public access.
F. Motions
Motions before the Council require a second before proceeding to a vote.
G. Voting
1. A vote may be by electronic voting machine, voice vote, or roll call.
2. Each Councilmember should vote on matters requiring a decision of the Council.
3. Abstentions:
a. Legal Conflict of Interest – the Councilmember must announce the reason for such conflict and leave the dais/room before the item is
taken up by the Council. Such abstention will be recorded as an absence and treated as a non-vote.
b. Consistent with Rosenberg’s Rules of Order, Councilmembers who abstain without a legal conflict of interest will be recorded as “abstain” and treated as a non-vote.
4. If multiple agencies are convened to address the same item with the same action, one motion will suffice for all agencies convened unless the law relating to the item requires separate votes.
H. Decorum
1. Councilmembers must refrain from engaging in a dialogue with members of the public during public comments on non-agenda items.
2. While in session, Councilmembers must preserve order and proper decorum at all times.
Revision History
Adopted December 1988.
Amended June 23, 1999; January 22, 2003; February 13, 2008; September 12, 2012; February 10, 2021; February 8, 2023; February 12, 2025; October 22, 2025; May 27, 2026 (Public Participation Item 5: Technology Disruptions Affecting Public Participation; effective July 1, 2026).