City Council Chambers
14343 Civic Drive
Victorville, CA
www.victorvilleca.gov
VICTORVILLE CITY COUNCIL
VICTORVILLE LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LOGISTICS RAIL AUTHORITY
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LOGISTICS AIRPORT AUTHORITY
SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
THE CITY AS HOUSING ASSETS SUCCESSOR
JOINT POWERS FINANCING AUTHORITY
VICTORVILLE WATER DISTRICT
NOTICE: The Mayor has called a Special Meeting
pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
4:00 p.m. Special Council Meeting
The
City
Council
holds
its
business
meetings
in
public
in
accordance
with
the
requirements
of
the
Ralph
M.
Brown
Act,
its
established
policies
and
procedures,
and
its
adopted
parliamentary
authority.
The
Council
strives
to
carry
out
its
meetings
in
an
atmosphere
of
professionalism
with
full
participation
by
members
of
the
body
and
the
public.
As
such,
the
Presiding
Officer
is
empowered
to
govern
City
Council
Meetings
to
foster
the
efficient
and
fair
administration
of
City
business
and
reserves
the
right
to
enforce
(or
cause
to
be
enforced)
the
Meeting
Rules
of
Conduct
and
Decorum
as
set
forth
in
Chapter
5 of
the
City
Council Policy and Procedures Manual.
The
City
Council
welcomes
and
encourages
public
participation
and
invites
the
community
to
attend
in
person.
Now
that
COVID-19
cases
in
our
area
have
reduced
to
a
point
that
social
distancing
requirements
have
been
lifted,
City
Council
Meetings
will
be
held
in-person
at
City
Hall
in
Council
Chambers.
Remote
viewing
of
our
Council
Meetings
is
available
through
YouTube,
but
public comments must be given in-person at the meeting or in advance as noted below.
Public
Comments:
Members
of
the
public
may
submit
comments
electronically
to
by
4 p.m.
the
day
of
the
meeting
to
be
distributed
to
City
Council.
During
special
meetings,
all
testimony
is
limited
to
items
posted
on
the
special
meeting
agenda.
Public
comments
will
be
no
longer
than
three
(3)
minutes
per
community
member.
Should
a
speaker
conclude
their
comments
prior
to
the
expiration
of
three
(3)
minutes,
the
speaker
waives
the
right
to
speak
for
any
remaining
amount
of
time.
For
further
information
about
how
to
address
the
Council,
please
refer
to
the
City’s website at
victorvilleca.gov/government/agendas
.
In
compliance
with
the
Americans
with
Disabilities
Act,
if
you
need
special
assistance
to
participate
in
this
meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s office at
(760) 955-5188
prior to the meeting.
4:00 p.m. Special Session
Call to Order
Roll Call
City Clerk Presents Agenda/Revisions to Agenda
Conflict of Interest Declarations
Any
items
on
this
agenda
that
might
be
a
conflict
of
interest
to
any
Council
Members/Board Members should be identified at this time
Introduction to Public Comments
Public Comments
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
1. Rosenberg’s
Rules
of
Order
presentation
on
parliamentary
procedures
in
conjunction
with
the
City
Council’s
Policy
and
Procedures
Manual
and
the
Planning
Commission’s Rules for Transaction of Commission Business
Recommendation:
The
City
Council
and
Planning
Commission
will
be
participating
in
a
presentation
on
parliamentary procedure.
Adjournment
Item Number: 1
City Council / Board of Directors
Written Communications
Meeting of: February 7, 2023
Submitted By:
Andre de Bortnowsky, City Attorney
Tara Taguchi, Deputy City Attorney
Subject:
Rosenberg’s Rules of Order presentation on parliamentary procedures in conjunction with the City Council’s Policy and Procedures Manual and the Planning Commission’s Rules for Transaction of Commission Business
Recommendation:
The City Council and Planning Commission will be participating in a presentation on parliamentary procedure.
Fiscal Impact:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Organizational Effectiveness and Sustainability
Background:
This presentation on parliamentary procedure is intended to simplify, clarify, and explain rules of parliamentary procedure, known as Rosenberg’s Rules of Order. These rules have been modified through various amendments to the City Council Policy and Procedures Manual “Policy Manual” and to some extent by the Planning Commission’s Rules for Transaction of Commission Business “Planning Commission Rules”. Procedural rules of order should be clear, uniform, and have equal application and provide the Councilmembers and Commissioners a predictable expectation of how agenda items will be discussed and voted upon while enforcing the rule of the majority and respecting the rights of the minority.
Discussion:
This presentation of Parliamentary Procedure will outline the role of the Mayor or Chair and offer a basic format for agenda items and three types of motions, based on 2 9
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Rosenberg’s Rules of Order. Materials for this training include a training outline and an informational video.
Attachments: A. Rosenberg's Rules Training Outline
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2 ATTACHMENT A
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2 CITY OF VICTORVILLE – ROSENBERG’S RULES TRAINING
Discussion Agenda and Overview
I. INTRODUCTION
a. This training is intended to simplify, clarify, and explain certain rules of parliamentary procedure adopted for use by the City of Victorville. Specifically, the City Council has adopted Rosenberg’s Rules of Order “Rosenberg’s Rules” and has modified certain of these rules through various amendments to the City Council Policy and Procedures Manual “Policy Manual”. The City’s Planning Commission has likewise adopted Rosenberg’s Rules in its Rules for Transaction of Commission Business “Commission Rules”.
b. Procedural rules of order should be clear, uniform, have equal application, and provide the Councilmembers a predictable expectation of how agenda items will be discussed and voted upon while enforcing the rule of the majority and respecting the rights of the minority.
II. ROSENBERG’S RULES VS. OTHER PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES. a. The main competitor to Rosenberg’s Rules is Robert’s Rules of Order “Robert’s Rules”.
b. Robert’s Rules were first published in 1876 by U.S. Army Officer Henry Martyn Robert. Although written by an Army Officer, these Rules were not intended for use by the military, but for large legislative bodies.
c. Robert’s Rules are used by many institutions, including Congress, but have been widely criticized as far too complex and lengthy for application by local agencies. d. Accordingly, most local agencies have opted for some variation of Rosenberg’s Rules, which are authored by Judge David Rosenberg of the California Superior Court and endorsed by the League of California Cities. Rosenberg’s Rules are simpler and easier to apply in most local agency settings.
III. VIDEO OF ROSENBERG’S TUTORIAL
IV. KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM TRAINING.
a. Role of the Mayor or Chair.
i. Must understand and apply the rules;
ii. Move the meeting and agenda forward in an orderly manner; iii. Take a leading role on issues of process; and
iv. Take a less active role in debate if necessary.
b. Basic Format for Agenda Items.
i. Announce an agenda item;
ii. Staff is asked to report on the item;
iii. Councilmembers may ask technical or clarifying questions of staff, which are not intended as argument or debating the merits of an item; iv. Public comments on the agenda item shall be heard;
v. The Mayor or Chair should invite a motion;
vi. The Mayor or Chair should invite a second for a motion made; vii. A statement clarifying or understanding the motion should be made so that all Councilmembers know what is being discussed and voted upon; viii. Discussion and debate of the motion;
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2 ix. Call for a vote on the motion;
x. Announce the results of the vote and whether the motion carries. c. Public Hearing Items.
i. Please see Chapter 3 of the Policy Manual and Section 9 of the Commission Rules for discussions of the process used during public hearings. ii. Note: Except for public hearing items, public comments on all agenda and non-agenda items are taken at the beginning of the meeting and prior to closed session.
d. Three (3) basic types of motions.
i. A basic motion, which requests the Council, Board, or Commission take some action;
ii. Motion to amend, which changes a basic motion in some manner, leaving the original intent of the motion intact; or
iii. Substitute motions, which replace the basic or amended motion with an alternative.
1. If a substitute motion carries, it will replace a basic or amended motion rendering prior motions moot.
e. Generally, all motions are subject to debate or discussion, except:
i. Motion to Adjourn;
ii. Motion to Recess;
iii. Motion to Fix the Time for Adjourning;
iv. Motion to Table;
v. Motion to End Debate on a Subject;
vi. Point of Order;
vii. Point of Privilege; or
viii. Motion to Add an Item to a Future Agenda.
f. Generally, all motions are subject to a majority vote, except when a supermajority (2./3) is required in the following instances:
i. Motion to Limit Debate;
ii. Motion to Close Nominations;
iii. Motion to Object to Consideration of a Question; or iv. Motion to Suspend the Rules.
g. The maker of a motion may withdraw the motion at any time, except after discussion and debate on the motion has closed.
V. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS BY COUNCILMEMBERS, COMMISSIONERS, AND STAFF.