City of Piedmont
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: July 6, 2026
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Rosanna Bayon Moore, City Administrator
SUBJECT: Consideration of Amendment to City Council Policy No. 25 to Establish a 9:00 pm Curfew for Considering Council Agenda Items, with an Overall City Council Meeting Curfew of 10:00 pm
RECOMMENDATION
By motion, approve an amendment to City Council Policy No. 25 to Establish a 9:00 pm Curfew for Considering Council Agenda Items, with an Overall City Council Meeting Curfew of 10:00 pm.
BACKGROUND
City Council Policy No. 25 sets forth procedures for City of Piedmont Council meetings. The Policy currently has a meeting curfew of 11:30 p.m., which was established when Council meetings began at 7:30 p.m. There is no separate curfew for introduction of new items. City Council Policy No. 25 Section 1 C. reads as follows:
“Time Limit on Meetings. No meeting shall extend past 11:30 pm, except by a majority vote of the council members then present. In the event the meeting is not extended, any agenda item not covered by 11:30 pm shall automatically be continued until the next regular Council meeting, unless the Council determines it should be heard at a special meeting.”
DISCUSSION
Cities often establish meeting curfews or adopt time-limit rules to prevent city council meetings from running long, ensuring that elected officials are able to soundly deliberate items while members of the public are able to participate.
Staff proposes amending City Council Policy No. 25 section 1 C. to read as follows:
Time Limit on Meetings and Consideration of Agenda Items. Any agenda item not called for consideration by 9:00 pm shall automatically be continued to the next Council meeting, unless a majority vote of the council members then present vote to consider any additional agenda items.
In no event shall a Council meeting extend past 10:00 pm, unless the meeting is extended by a majority vote of the council members then present.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with this policy change; the proposed change in policy will likely reduce staff overtime costs by preventing meetings from stretching into late-night hours.
ATTACHMENT
A. City Council Policy No. 25 (current)
B. City Council Policy No. 25 (redline)
By: Anna M. Brown, City Clerk
Agenda Report Page 2
1 CITY OF PIEDMONT
Policy & Procedure
Policy No. 25
Section: City Council
SUBJECT: Summary of Procedures for Conduct of Piedmont City Council Meetings Policy
The following is based on State law, City Charter and Ordinance requirements, and Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure.
Procedure
1. REGULAR MEETINGS. Regular meetings shall be held at Piedmont City Hall or at such other place and at such times that the Council may determine by ordinance or by resolution, but there must be two such meetings each month. Once convened, a regular meeting may be adjourned to another location within the city if unusually large crowds or other circumstances warrant. Presently, regular meetings are scheduled for the first and third Mondays of each month at 6:00 p.m. except when these dates fall on holidays, in which case the meeting is held on the following day, a Tuesday, at the same time.
A. “Adjourned” Meetings. All meetings will be continued (“adjourned”) to a time, place and date certain, but not beyond the next regular meeting. Once adjourned, the meeting may not be reconvened.
B. Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the mayor or a majority of council members on 24-hour notice. Only matters contained in the notice may be considered.
C. Time Limit on Meetings. No meeting shall extend past 11:30 pm, except by a majority vote of the council members then present. In the event the meeting is not extended, any agenda item not covered by 11:30 pm shall automatically be continued until the next regular Council meeting, unless the Council determines it should be heard at a special meeting.
2. NOTICE AND AGENDA. An agenda of each regular Council meeting must be posted at least 72 hours prior to each such regular meeting. No other notice of regular meetings is required by law except where a written request is made by a property owner; however, City policy is to mail an agenda of each meeting to anyone requesting notice. Agendas of each regular meeting are made available to the public prior to each meeting, normally on the Friday morning preceding the Monday Council meeting, at which time the “Agenda Packet” containing all of the documents which are part of the record for each agenda item will also be made available to the public.
Posted and mailed notice is required of special meetings and of meetings adjourned by Attachment A Agenda Report Page 3
2 the City Clerk; posted notice is required of all other adjourned meetings. Generally, the agendas of these meetings also must be posted, and by City policy are posted both at City Hall and at the Police Department. Agendas are normally prepared at the direction of the mayor, but may be changed by a majority vote of the council members. Normally no new item can be added to the agenda at the council meeting itself, although the Council by majority vote can determine that a matter be on the agenda for the next Council meeting.
3. QUORUM. A majority of three members of the Council is sufficient to do business; provided that all actions of the Council, including ordinances, require at least three affirmative votes, except as specifically otherwise provided in the Charter, such as emergency ordinances, which require at least four affirmative votes.
4. ROLL CALL. There is a legal requirement for roll call voting on all actions of the Council, except for procedural motions..
5. CORRECT LEGAL DOCUMENT. Upon occasion, ordinances or resolutions are submitted in longhand or in draft form with on-the-spot amendments. These preliminary papers may be retyped in final form; such re-draft, when signed and attested, becomes the original and proper document to be retained in the files.
6. THE MINUTES. Minutes are the concern of the city council. The City Clerk’s office shall prepare and present the minutes to the Council for approval, after which the Council may then, by motion, make such corrections as conform to fact. The minutes should be a clear and concise statement of the Council actions, including the motions made, a summary of public testimony, and the vote thereon.
Whenever the Council acts in a quasi-judicial proceeding such as a variance or design review appeal or a Conditional Use Permit, it is important to adopt specific findings relating to the decision made and to have detailed minutes summarizing the testimony.
7. RULES. The Council may establish its own rules, prescribe an agenda, limit debate and eject unruly persons. Except where otherwise covered by provisions of the City Charter, Code, Resolutions or officially City adopted Rules and Procedures, Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedures the Council governs the procedures relating to City Council meetings. When a motion is made and seconded, it should be stated by the mayor before debate. A motion may not be withdrawn by the mover after it has been stated by the mayor if there is objection by another member of the Council. No motion shall require a second.
A. Agenda Items Out of Order. The mayor may at any time, by majority consent of the members, permit a member to introduce an ordinance, resolution, or motion out of the regular agenda order.
B. Division of Question. If the question contains two or more divisible propositions, the mayor may, and upon request of a member shall (unless appealed), divide the same.
Attachment A Agenda Report Page 4
3 8. VOTING. On the passage of every motion, except on procedural motions, the vote shall be taken by roll call and entered in full upon the record.
A. Roll Call. The roll call shall be called for yeas and nays upon any question before the Council. It shall not be in order for members to explain their vote during the roll call. Any member may change his or her vote before the next order of business.
B. Failure to Vote. Every member shall vote unless disqualified for cause.
Typically, this would be for personal or financial conflict of interest. Selfdisqualification which results in a tie vote should be avoided as thwarting Council action.
1) The abstainer, in effect, “consents” that a majority of the quorum may act for him or her.
2) Tie votes are “lost” motions, but may be reconsidered later.
9. RESOLUTIONS.
A. Where the particular resolution has been prepared in advance and is available for distribution:
1) Procedure: motion, discussion, roll call vote, result declared. (It is not necessary to read a resolution in full or by title except to identify it.) 2) Any member may demand that the resolution be read in full.
B. Where the particular resolution has not been prepared in advance:
1) Procedure: motion, roll call vote; if the resolution has been clearly stated verbally prior to its adoption, that stated wording shall govern; otherwise instruction should be given to the City Attorney to prepare such a resolution for final review by the Council in approving the minutes of that meeting.
10. ORDINANCES.
A. Where the particular ordinance has not been prepared in advance. 1) A vote should be taken, instructing the City Attorney to prepare the same, with specific instructions on details to be included, to be submitted at a later meeting.
B. Where the particular ordinance has been prepared in advance:
1) Any Council member may introduce an ordinance at any regular or special meeting of the Council.
2) The ordinance shall be introduced or placed on first reading by motion.
Attachment A Agenda Report Page 5
4 3) Any ordinance may be read at either or both of the first and second readings “by title only”, meaning that the ordinance does not have to be read in its entirety or at all, so long as a written copy of the ordinance is part of the materials before the Council and available to the public. 4) Adoption of an ordinance requires a first and second reading, and the second reading must be at least five days after the first reading.
C. Effective Date. All ordinances, except emergency ordinances, shall become effective 30 days after adoption or upon such later date as may be designated in the ordinance.
D. Emergency Ordinances. Emergency ordinances must be approved by at least 4 out of 5 council members, must state the findings for the emergency, must be posted, and become effective immediately. Emergency ordinances may be declared void if no true urgency existed, and such emergency ordinances shall automatically stand repealed on the 61st day after adoption. They may not cover certain subjects, such as raising taxes.
11. MOTIONS AND POINTS OF ORDER.
A. Motions on procedural matters may be adopted by the “no objection” method or by voice vote unless any member prefers a roll call vote. All other motions must be adopted by a roll call vote. Points of Order are made to call the attention of the Council to an omission, mistake, error in procedure or the like, and can only be made by council members.
12. THE BROWN ACT. The Ralph M. Brown Act is a law which provides that no city board whether the City Council, the Planning Commission or any other commission or official committee thereof shall hold any meeting at which action is taken other than a duly called and regularly held open and public meeting, notice of which is provided either by ordinance or resolution, or special call, by adjournment of a prior meeting, or by posted agenda. A “meeting” takes place whenever a quorum is present and official business is conducted; excluded are certain labor, personnel, and “attorney” sessions, which may be closed to the public. It also provides that action may only be taken on items on the agenda posted for a prescribed period prior to the meeting. Members of the public may address the city council on matters of interest that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Council, but no action shall normally be taken on any such items unless it appears on the posted agenda. Various specific provisions of the Brown Act have been covered in other paragraphs hereof.
Initiated by: City Attorney
Approved by: City Council
Date: July 18, 1988
January 17, 2023 (Resolution 02-2023)
Attachment A Agenda Report Page 6
1 CITY OF PIEDMONT
Policy & Procedure
Policy No. 25
Section: City Council
SUBJECT: Summary of Procedures for Conduct of Piedmont City Council Meetings Policy
The following is based on State law, City Charter and Ordinance requirements, and Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure.
Procedure
1. REGULAR MEETINGS. Regular meetings shall be held at Piedmont City Hall or at such other place and at such times that the Council may determine by ordinance or by resolution, but there must be two such meetings each month. Once convened, a regular meeting may be adjourned to another location within the city if unusually large crowds or other circumstances warrant. Presently, regular meetings are scheduled for the first and third Mondays of each month at 6:00 p.m. except when these dates fall on holidays, in which case the meeting is held on the following day, a Tuesday, at the same time.
A. “Adjourned” Meetings. All meetings will be continued (“adjourned”) to a time, place and date certain, but not beyond the next regular meeting. Once adjourned, the meeting may not be reconvened.
B. Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the mayor or a majority of council members on 24-hour notice. Only matters contained in the notice may be considered.
C. Time Limit on Meetings and Consideration of Agenda Items. No meeting shall extend past 10:00 pm, except by a majority vote of the council members then present. In the event the meeting is not extended, any agenda item not called for consideration by 9:00 pm shall automatically be continued to the next Council meeting, unless a majority vote of the council members then present vote to extend the meeting.
2. NOTICE AND AGENDA. An agenda of each regular Council meeting must be posted at least 72 hours prior to each such regular meeting. No other notice of regular meetings is required by law except where a written request is made by a property owner; however, City policy is to mail an agenda of each meeting to anyone requesting notice. Agendas of each regular meeting are made available to the public prior to each meeting, normally on the Friday morning preceding the Monday Council meeting, at which time the “Agenda Packet” containing all of the documents which are part of the record for each agenda item will also be made available to the public.
Deleted: 11:30
Deleted: covered
Deleted: 11:30
Deleted: until
Deleted: regular
Deleted: the Council determines it should be heard at a special meeting…
Attachment B Agenda Report Page 7
2 Posted and mailed notice is required of special meetings and of meetings adjourned by the City Clerk; posted notice is required of all other adjourned meetings. Generally, the agendas of these meetings also must be posted, and by City policy are posted both at City Hall and at the Police Department. Agendas are normally prepared at the direction of the mayor, but may be changed by a majority vote of the council members. Normally no new item can be added to the agenda at the council meeting itself, although the Council by majority vote can determine that a matter be on the agenda for the next Council meeting.
3. QUORUM. A majority of three members of the Council is sufficient to do business; provided that all actions of the Council, including ordinances, require at least three affirmative votes, except as specifically otherwise provided in the Charter, such as emergency ordinances, which require at least four affirmative votes.
4. ROLL CALL. There is a legal requirement for roll call voting on all actions of the Council, except for procedural motions..
5. CORRECT LEGAL DOCUMENT. Upon occasion, ordinances or resolutions are submitted in longhand or in draft form with on-the-spot amendments. These preliminary papers may be retyped in final form; such re-draft, when signed and attested, becomes the original and proper document to be retained in the files.
6. THE MINUTES. Minutes are the concern of the city council. The City Clerk’s office shall prepare and present the minutes to the Council for approval, after which the Council may then, by motion, make such corrections as conform to fact. The minutes should be a clear and concise statement of the Council actions, including the motions made, a summary of public testimony, and the vote thereon.
Whenever the Council acts in a quasi-judicial proceeding such as a variance or design review appeal or a Conditional Use Permit, it is important to adopt specific findings relating to the decision made and to have detailed minutes summarizing the testimony.
7. RULES. The Council may establish its own rules, prescribe an agenda, limit debate and eject unruly persons. Except where otherwise covered by provisions of the City Charter, Code, Resolutions or officially City adopted Rules and Procedures, Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedures the Council governs the procedures relating to City Council meetings. When a motion is made and seconded, it should be stated by the mayor before debate. A motion may not be withdrawn by the mover after it has been stated by the mayor if there is objection by another member of the Council. No motion shall require a second.
A. Agenda Items Out of Order. The mayor may at any time, by majority consent of the members, permit a member to introduce an ordinance, resolution, or motion out of the regular agenda order.
B. Division of Question. If the question contains two or more divisible propositions, the mayor may, and upon request of a member shall (unless appealed), divide the same.
Attachment B Agenda Report Page 8
3 8. VOTING. On the passage of every motion, except on procedural motions, the vote shall be taken by roll call and entered in full upon the record.
A. Roll Call. The roll call shall be called for yeas and nays upon any question before the Council. It shall not be in order for members to explain their vote during the roll call. Any member may change his or her vote before the next order of business.
B. Failure to Vote. Every member shall vote unless disqualified for cause.
Typically, this would be for personal or financial conflict of interest. Selfdisqualification which results in a tie vote should be avoided as thwarting Council action.
1) The abstainer, in effect, “consents” that a majority of the quorum may act for him or her.
2) Tie votes are “lost” motions, but may be reconsidered later.
9. RESOLUTIONS.
A. Where the particular resolution has been prepared in advance and is available for distribution:
1) Procedure: motion, discussion, roll call vote, result declared. (It is not necessary to read a resolution in full or by title except to identify it.) 2) Any member may demand that the resolution be read in full.
B. Where the particular resolution has not been prepared in advance:
1) Procedure: motion, roll call vote; if the resolution has been clearly stated verbally prior to its adoption, that stated wording shall govern; otherwise instruction should be given to the City Attorney to prepare such a resolution for final review by the Council in approving the minutes of that meeting.
10. ORDINANCES.
A. Where the particular ordinance has not been prepared in advance. 1) A vote should be taken, instructing the City Attorney to prepare the same, with specific instructions on details to be included, to be submitted at a later meeting.
B. Where the particular ordinance has been prepared in advance:
1) Any Council member may introduce an ordinance at any regular or special meeting of the Council.
2) The ordinance shall be introduced or placed on first reading by motion.
Attachment B Agenda Report Page 9
4 3) Any ordinance may be read at either or both of the first and second readings “by title only”, meaning that the ordinance does not have to be read in its entirety or at all, so long as a written copy of the ordinance is part of the materials before the Council and available to the public. 4) Adoption of an ordinance requires a first and second reading, and the second reading must be at least five days after the first reading.
C. Effective Date. All ordinances, except emergency ordinances, shall become effective 30 days after adoption or upon such later date as may be designated in the ordinance.
D. Emergency Ordinances. Emergency ordinances must be approved by at least 4 out of 5 council members, must state the findings for the emergency, must be posted, and become effective immediately. Emergency ordinances may be declared void if no true urgency existed, and such emergency ordinances shall automatically stand repealed on the 61st day after adoption. They may not cover certain subjects, such as raising taxes.
11. MOTIONS AND POINTS OF ORDER.
A. Motions on procedural matters may be adopted by the “no objection” method or by voice vote unless any member prefers a roll call vote. All other motions must be adopted by a roll call vote. Points of Order are made to call the attention of the Council to an omission, mistake, error in procedure or the like, and can only be made by council members.
12. THE BROWN ACT. The Ralph M. Brown Act is a law which provides that no city board whether the City Council, the Planning Commission or any other commission or official committee thereof shall hold any meeting at which action is taken other than a duly called and regularly held open and public meeting, notice of which is provided either by ordinance or resolution, or special call, by adjournment of a prior meeting, or by posted agenda. A “meeting” takes place whenever a quorum is present and official business is conducted; excluded are certain labor, personnel, and “attorney” sessions, which may be closed to the public. It also provides that action may only be taken on items on the agenda posted for a prescribed period prior to the meeting. Members of the public may address the city council on matters of interest that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Council, but no action shall normally be taken on any such items unless it appears on the posted agenda. Various specific provisions of the Brown Act have been covered in other paragraphs hereof.
Initiated by: City Attorney
Approved by: City Council
Date: July 18, 1988
July 6, 2026 (Resolution XX-2026) Deleted: January 17, 2023 Deleted: 02-2023
Attachment B Agenda Report Page 10