City Council Meeting Rules and Procedures Update
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GLENDALE CITY COUNCIL COUNCIL MEETING RULES AND PROCEDURES Amended November 26, 2024 SECTION 1: RULES, PURPOSE AND EFFECT 1.1 The Council’s meetings must be noticed and conducted in accordance with applicable open meetings statutes and other laws. 1.2 These rules and procedures are adopted by the Council of the City of Glendale, under the Council’s authority provided by the Charter and by law, to determine its own rules and order of business and to regulate the conduct of its meetings. Where not inconsistent with these rules and procedures, the current version of Robert’s Rules of Order will be used as a supplementary guideline, and general parliamentary procedure will be observed in the conduct of the Council’s meetings. 1.3 The Mayor, or a majority of the council, may suspend strict observance of these rules and procedures and any applicable provision of Robert’s Rules for the timely and orderly progression of the meeting. SECTION 2: PRESIDING OFFICER 2.1 As provided by the City Charter, the Mayor, or in the Mayor’s absence, the Vice-Mayor, is the presiding officer of the Council and will preside at all Council meetings. 2.2 The presiding officer will preserve order and decorum at all meetings of the Council to allow the orderly conduct of the business of the meeting and to provide persons in attendance with an interest in all agenda items to have an opportunity to have their item of interest duly considered by the Council, including a fair opportunity for interested persons to speak on public hearing items. Any decision by the Mayor on procedural matters is final and subject only to appeal to the whole Council as provided in Robert’s Rules. SECTION 3: ORDER OF BUSINESS 3.1 The order of business at regular meetings of the Council ordinarily will be as follows: Call to Order Roll Call Prayer/Invocation Posting of Colors Pledge of Allegiance Approval of Minutes Boards and Commissions Proclamations and Awards Consent Agenda Consent Resolutions Bids and Contracts Land Development Actions Ordinances Resolutions New Business Council Comments and Suggestions Adjournment 3.2 The Mayor, or a majority of the Council, may decide to consider items out of sequence from the printed agenda for the meeting. The Council cannot act on any items not listed on the agenda unless an emergency exists. 3.3 The consent agenda matters are of a routine nature or matters which previously have been studied by the Council at a work session and may be adopted by one motion. Other than the introduction of the items by the City Clerk, there will be no discussion of separate items unless members of the Council request that a specific item be discussed and considered separately. 3.4 Prayer/Invocation at Council Voting Meetings - In order to solemnize proceedings of the City Council, it is the policy of the City Council to allow for an invocation or prayer to be offered at its meetings for the benefit of the City Council and the community. 3.5 The following guidelines allow for an invocation, which may include prayer, reflective moment of silence, or short solemnizing message. 1. No member of the Council, employee of the City, or any other person in attendance at the meeting shall be required to participate in any prayer or invocation that is offered. 2. The prayer/invocation shall be voluntarily delivered by any person who has offered. 3. The speaker shall not receive compensation for his or her service. 4. No speaker shall proselytize or otherwise openly seek to promote certain aspects of doctrine or faith; openly advocate or campaign for conversion of individuals or groups; or openly advance any faith, belief, doctrine, or dogma. No prayer/ invocation shall disparage the religious faith or non-religious views of others. 5. It is recommended that the prayer/invocation be no more than two minutes in length. The above guidelines are not intended and shall not be implemented or construed in any way to affiliate the City Council with, nor express the Council’s preference for, any faith or religious denominations. Rather, these guidelines are intended to acknowledge and express the City Council’s respect for the diversity of both organized and unorganized religious denominations, as well as other faiths represented and practiced among the citizens of the City of Glendale. 3.6 Anyone violating these guidelines is subject to disqualification from offering future prayers/invocations. 3.7 As adopted by Council, the City Council Meeting Rules and Guidelines state that the Mayor is the presiding officer of the meetings and, as such: “SECTION 2 – PRESIDING OFFICER 2.1 As provided by the City Charter, the Mayor, or in the Mayor’s absence, the Vice-Mayor, is the presiding officer of the Council and will preside at all Council meetings. 2.2 The presiding officer will preserve order and decorum at all meetings of the Council to allow the orderly conduct of the business of the meeting and to provide persons in attendance with an interest in all agenda items to have an opportunity to have their item of interest duly considered by the Council, including a fair opportunity for interested persons to speak on public hearing items. Any decision by the Mayor on procedural matters in final, subject only to appeal to the whole Council as provided in Robert’s Rules. Therefore, the Mayor shall advise the speaker that their time is up in order to keep with the orderly operation of the meeting. 3.8 In no event shall a speaker be scheduled to offer a prayer/invocation at consecutive meetings of the Council, except a Councilmember as called upon by the Presiding Officer. 3.9 In no event shall a speaker offer the prayer/invocation more than three times in one fiscal year. Similarly, no speaker from the same denomination, faith, or sect shall speak more times than three in one fiscal year. 3.10 Neither the Council nor staff shall engage in any inquiry, examination, restriction, review of, or involvement in the content of any prayer to be offered. 3.11 In the event that there is no scheduled speaker to offer the prayer/invocation, the agenda shall include a Moment of Silence. 3.12 The following language shall be included on every agenda: “Any prayer/invocation that may be offered before the start of regular Council business shall be the voluntary offering of a private citizen, for the benefit of the Council and the citizens present. The views or beliefs expressed by the prayer/invocation speaker have not been previously reviewed or approved by the Council, and the Council does not endorse the religious beliefs or views of this, or any other speaker. A list of volunteers is maintained by the Mayor’s office and interested persons should contact the Mayor’s office for further information.” 3.13 City officials should not give the impression that they are expressing an official City religion, are speaking on the City’s behalf or that City residents attending the meeting are expected to participate in the prayer/invocation. 3.14 Process: 1. The Mayor’s office will maintain a list of volunteers. 2. Volunteers will be able to sign up via the website, a hard copy request form also available on the website, or submitted in person to a representative of the Mayor’s Office at 5850 West Glendale Avenue. 3. As the requests are received they will be placed in that order. The speakers will be contacted in order of date and then time received and requested to speak at a future meeting of the Council. 4. The Mayor’s office will follow up with letter setting forth the date and time that the speaker should be prepared to offer the invocation/prayer. Additionally, the letter will remind the intended speaker that the prayer/invocation being offered cannot seek to proselytize in favor of one religion or sect or disparage another region or belief. 3.15 Posting of Colors 1. It is the policy of the Council to allow organizations to post the colors at regular voting meetings of the council. 2. Organizations seeking to post the colors at a meeting shall contact the mayor’s office, which shall maintain a list of volunteers and coordinate the scheduling of posting assignments. SECTION 4: WORKSHOP MEETINGS 4.1 The Council may conduct workshop meetings or study sessions on matters which are expected to come before the Council for formal action at a regular meeting or otherwise need study by the Council. Items to be considered will be placed on an agenda as required by the open meetings statutes. 4.2 At workshop meetings, the City Clerk will introduce each item, and the City Manager will introduce the staff who is presenting. The Council will receive information and presentation of issues from the City Manager and City staff. The Council may ask questions and may request that certain information be provided or issues be addressed when items are considered further at another workshop meeting or a regular meeting of the Council. Council may direct that matters under consideration be brought forward for formal action at a regular meeting, that further study be conducted if appropriate, that matters under consideration not be pursued further (except for matters requiring a public hearing), or that modifications be made before a matter is considered further. 4.3 Final action on items is not taken at workshop or study sessions. No formal vote of the Council in favor or against any agenda item may be taken at a workshop or study session. 4.4 Workshops are not public hearings. Public testimony will be taken before Council action on public hearing items at a regular meeting. No member of the public or interested party has the right to make a presentation or address the Council on an item under consideration in a workshop or study session. The Council may direct questions to a member of the public or another interested party, or, in appropriate circumstances, a brief presentation may be permitted by a member of the public or another interested party on an agenda item or a particular question related to an agenda item. The Mayor may limit or end the time for such responses to questions or presentations. SECTION 5: ADDRESSING THE COUNCIL, REGULAR MEETINGS AND PUBLIC HEARINGS 5.1 Any person wishing to address the Council on a public hearing item or another agenda item must fill out a speaker card and turn it into the City Clerk, indicating the speaker’s name, address, and the agenda item on which he or she wishes to speak. On agenda items that are not scheduled for public hearing, brief public comment may be allowed, time permitting. The time permitted for such public comment by each speaker will be limited as provided for public hearing items. The Mayor may close the public comment on non- public hearing agenda items, even if not all interested parties have spoken, or end the time for comment by a speaker to allow the meeting to proceed. 5.2 Public Hearing Item Comments and Non-public Hearing Item Comments occur throughout the meeting. These are for items that are on the Council meeting agenda and are limited to three minutes per speaker. a. Speakers may be limited to less than three minutes each in consideration of the number of people wishing to speak, the length of the agenda, the number of public hearing items, and the timely and orderly progression of the meeting. Applicants on public hearing items and their attorneys, representatives, experts, and supporting witnesses are not necessarily limited to a total of three minutes but must be concise and coordinate their presentations to avoid repetition and unnecessary length. At the discretion of the Chair, rebuttal comments by the applicant or the applicant’s representative may be allowed. If allowed, rebuttal comments will address matters and questions raised in the public hearing and answers to questions by the Council must be brief. Other than any rebuttal, no person will be allowed to address the Council after the public hearing is closed or after a motion on a non-public hearing item without first securing permission. 5.3 Speakers on any item on the agenda, whether a public hearing or other item, should address their comments to matters pertinent to the agenda item or subject matter at hand and should avoid repeating the comments of previous speakers on the item. Simply stating agreement with the points, the prior speaker(s) raised will help move the meeting along so that all who wish to speak can do so within a reasonable time. Large groups whose members wish to speak on a matter may designate a spokesperson. 5.1 The purpose of public comment during a public hearing is to provide information and the speaker’s views for Council consideration. Any questions raised by the speaker will not be answered by Council during the public hearing, but will be referred for follow-up by the City Manager or City staff after the conclusion of the public hearing. It is not appropriate in the public hearing or public comment period on another agenda item for the speakers to debate the matter under consideration with other speakers, the audience, or members of the Council. All comments should be addressed through the Chair. Questions may be posed to the speakers, any applicant’s representatives, and City staff by the Council after being recognized by the Chair. Except when answering a direct question from a Councilmember, all remarks will be addressed to the Council as a whole and not to individual members. 5.4 Proper decorum must be observed by members of the Council, by speakers in providing testimony and remarks, and by the audience. The Mayor shall keep control of the meeting and require the speakers and audience to refrain from abusive or profane remarks, disruptive outbursts, applause, protests, or other conduct which disrupts or interferes with the orderly conduct of the business of the meeting. Personal attacks on Councilmembers, City staff, or members of the public are not allowed. It is inappropriate to utilize public hearings or another agenda item to make political speeches, including threats of political action. Engaging in such conduct and failing to cease such conduct upon request of the Mayor will be grounds for ending a speaker’s time at the podium or removing any disruptive person from the meeting room at the direction of the Mayor. 5.5 Exhibits, letters, petitions, and other documentary items presented or shown to the Council on a public hearing item become part of the public hearing records. The speaker should provide eleven collated sets of written or graphic materials before the commencement of the hearing to allow for distribution to the Mayor and Council, key City staff, and a copy for the City Clerk to include in the public record of the hearing, whenever possible. Reduced copies (8 ½ x 11 or 8 ½ x 14) of large graphic exhibits should be provided as part of the materials for distribution to the Council and staff and for the record. This requirement may be waived for signed petitions submitted by neighborhoods or other citizen groups, although these groups are also encouraged to provide eleven sets of petitions where possible.