92-7885R37
RESOLUTION NO. 7885
RESOLUTION ADOPTING RULES OF PROCEDURE AND DECORUM
FOR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
WHEREAS, it is appropriate for the City Council to establish
rules of procedure and decorum for Council meetings and Board and
Commission meetings; and
WHEREAS, the Richfield City Code, section 205, currently
provides for rules of Council procedure; and
WHEREAS, Richfield City Code, section 205.13, subd. 2(c)
provides that City Council may adopt such special rules by
ordinance or resolution from time to time as necessary; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that it is
appropriate to adopt these special rules of procedure and decorum
on a trial basis of one year.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and City Council
of the City of Richfield, as follows:
Section 1: That the attached rules of procedure and decorum
are hereby established.
Section 2: That these rules are adopted by resolution for a
period of one year.
Section 3: In the cause of any inconsistencies between
these rules and the rules in the City Code, the rules herein
adopted shall prevail.
Adopted by the City Council of the City of Richfield,
Minnesota this 8th day of June, 1992.
Mar in J. ~i ch ayor
ATTEST:
Thomas P. Ferber City Clerk
Resolution No. 7885
RULES OF PROCEDURE AND DECORUM
CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
RICHFIELD, MINNESOTA
SECTION 1. PURPOSE
Subd. 1. General. It is
the concept of
it is essential
formal rules of
deliberative pr
disturbed.
SECTION 2. GENERAL
recognized that in order to enhance
effective and democratic government,
that a legislative body establish
procedure and decorum so that a true
ocess will be observed and not
Subd. 1. Law. The City Charter, Ordinances and State Statutes
governing the City Council-shall be followed and
supplemented by the Rules of Procedure and Decorum of
the City Council.
Subd. 2. General Rules. In all matters of parliamentary
procedures, the Council shall be governed by the
latest printed edition of the STURGIS STANDARD CODE
OF PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE as published from time to
time except as modified by these rules.
SECTION 3. PRESIDING OFFICER
Subd. 1. Who Presides. The Mayor shall preside at all
meetings of the Council. In the absence of the
Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem shall preside. .The
presiding officer shall have the power to preserve
strict order and decorum at meetings, enforce the
rules of procedure, and determine without debate,
subject to the final decision of the Council on
appeal, all questions of procedure and order.
Subd. 2. A~oeal of the Ruling of the Presiding Officer. Any
member of the Council may appeal from a ruling of the
presiding officer. If the appeal is seconded, the
member may speak once solely on the question involved.
and the presiding officer may explain the ruling, but
no other Council MAmber shall participate in the
discussion. The appeal shall be sustained if it is
approved by a majority vote.
Subd. 3. .Rights of the Presiding Officer. The presiding
officer may speak on any question, and make motions
and second motions.
SECTION 4. AGENDA
Subd. 1.
action shall be
and residents t
ideration. Matters for Council
submitted by members of the Council
the City Manager.
Subd. 2. Preparation. An agenda of business for each regular
meeting shall be prepared in the Office of the City
Manager and copies thereof delivered to each Council
Member as far iri advance of the meeting as time for
preparation will permit.
Subd. 3.
appointed for t
Council, the me
Mayor and in th
Tem. If a quor
then proceed wi
manner:
s at Regular Meetings. At the hour
e regular meeting of the City
ting shall be called to order by the
,Mayor's absence, by the Mayor Pro
m is present, the City Council shall
h its business in the following
Subd. 4.
(a) approval o
(b) presentati
(c) agenda app
(d) consent ca
(e) public hea
(f) proposed o
(g) resolution
(h) administra
(i) correspond
(~) other busi
be varied by
Subd. 5. Consent Agenda.
a meeting, the
of business on
Council wishing
calendar may do
calendar is rea
Any item remove
become one of t
and shall be to
All items not s
may be passed b
Matters propose
agenda shall be
of a routine, n
minutes of previous meeting;
.s;
wal;
enaar;
ings, including ordinance hearings;
dinances;
ive reports;
nce; and
ess.
Business. The order of business may
presiding officer.
In the preparation of the agenda for
ity Manager may place certain items
consent calendar. A member of the
to remove any item from the consent
so at the time that the consent
hed on the general Council agenda.
from the consent calendar shall
e regular agenda items of the meeting
en up'after the consent calendar.
removed from the consent calendar
a single, non-debatable motion.
by the City Manager for the consent
those which the Manager deems to be
n-controversial nature.
Subd. 6. Items Not on the Agenda: The Council may consider
items not appearing on the agenda as normal business
if an ob~ectioni,is not raised by a Council Member.
If an•ob~ection'iis raised by a Council Member to
considering an item not appearing on the agenda, a
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vote of the majority of the Council Members present
shall determine the .appropriateness of further
consideration of the matter at that time. The
Council may not take action on any item which
requires public notice or hearing. ,
Subd.~7. Public Participation. Members of the public may
address the City Council during:
(a) Public hearings
(b) "Opportunity for the Public to Address the City
Council on Matters Not on the Agenda." This
portion of the meeting shall be limited to
thirty minutes and individuals shall be
requested to limit their comments to four
minutes or less.
(c) Specific issues scheduled on the agenda but in
accordance with Section 6, Subdivision 6, of
these rules entitled, "Addressing the Council."
SECTION 5. VOTING
Subd. 1. Procedure. The votes of the members on any ordinance
or resolution pending before the Council shall be by
roll call vote. The votes of the members on any
motion shall be by voice vote, unless the Mayor or
any member of the Council requests that a roll call
vote by taken. The Mayor shall call for a roll call
vote whenever a voice vote of the Council is not
clear as to the disposition of the action before the
Council.
Subd. 2. Abstention. If a Council Member does not vote, the
abstention shall be recorded as "Abstain--name."
Subd. 3. Voting Order for Roll Call. The Secretary to the
Council shall call for the vote in consecutive order
of wards with the ward voting first rotating one
position at each regular meeting. The presiding
officer shall always vote last.
SECTION 6. RULES OF DECORUM
Subd. 1. Council. While the Council is in session, the
members must preserve order and decorum, and a member
shall neither, by conversation or otherwise, delay or
interrupt the proceedings or the peace of the Council
nor disturb any member while speaking or refuse to.
obey the orders of the presiding officer.
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Subd. 2. Recognition. N
shall address t
the presiding o
person or member of the Council
Council without being recognized by
icer.
Subd. 3. Discussion. No member of the Council shall speak
more than twice on any question, nor more than five
minutes each time without consent of the Council.
Subd. 4. Staff. Members~of the City staff shall observe the
same rules of order and decorum as are applicable to
the City Council.
Subd. 5. Pertinent to Matter Under Debate. Members of the
Council, staff and public shall confine remarks to
the matter unde~ debate.
Subd. 6. Addressing the Council. Each member of the. public
addressing the Council shall step up to the
microphone provided for the use of the public after
being recognized by the presiding officer and give
his/her name an~ address in an audible tone of voice
for the records,' state the subject to be discussed,
and state who the speaker is representing if
representing an organization or other persons.
Unless further time is granted by a majority vote of
the Council, re~arks from the public shall be limited
to four minutes., All remarks shall be addressed to
the Council as a whole and not to any member thereof.
No person other than members of the Council and the
person having the floor shall be permitted to enter
into any discussion, either directly or through a
member of the Council, without permission of the
presiding officer. No question may be asked a
Council Member or a member of the staff without the
permission of t~e presiding officer.
Subd. 7. Spokesman for Group of Persons. In order to expedite
matters and to avoid repetitious presentations,
whenever any group of persons wishes to address the
Council on the same subject matter, it shall be
proper for the presiding officer to request that a
spokesperson be chosen by the group to address the
Council and, in'~case additional matters are to be
presented by any other member of said group, to limit
the number of such persons .addressing the Council.
Subd. 8. After Motion. After a motion has been made or a
public hearing has been closed, no member of the
public shall ad~ress the Council from the audience on
the matter under consideration without first securing
permission to do so by a majority vote of the City
Council.
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Subd. 9. Conduct. Any member of the Council, staff or person
indulging in personalities or making impertinent,
slanderous, or profane remarks or who willfully
utters loud, threatening or abusive language, or
engages in any disorderly conduct which would impede,
disrupt, or disturb the orderly conduct of any
meeting, hearing or other proceeding, shall be called
to order by the presiding officer and, if such
conduct continues, may at the discretion of the
presiding officer, be ordered barred from further
audience before the Council during that meeting.
Subd. 10. Members of the Audience. No person in the audience
shall engage in disorderly conduct such as hand
clapping, stamping of feet, whistling, using profane
language, yelling, and similar demonstrations, which
conduct disturbs the peace and good order of the
meeting.
SECTION 7. ENFORCEMENTS OF DECORUM
Subd. 1. Warning. All persons shall, at the request of the
presiding officer, be silent. If, after receiving a
warning from the presiding officer, a person persists
in disturbing the meeting, said officer may order the
person removed from the meeting. If the person does
not remove himself/herself, the presiding officer may
order that the person be removed by the Sergeant-at-
Arms.
Subd. 2. Sergeant-at-Arms. The Public Safety Director, or
such member or members of the police department,
shall be Sergeant-at-Arms of the Council meetings.
The Public Safety Director or such member or members
of the police department shall carry out all orders
and instructions given by the presiding officer for
the purpose of maintaining order and decorum at the
Council meeting. Upon instruction of the presiding
officer it shall be the duty of the Sergeant-at-Arms
to remove from the meeting any person who
intentionally disturbs the proceedings of the
Council.
Subd. 3. Resisting Removal. Any person who resists removal by
the Sergeant-at-Arms may be charged with violating
City Ordinance.
Subd. 4. Motions to Enforce. Any Council Member may move to
require the presiding officer to enforce these rules
and the affirmative vote of a majority of the Council
shall require him to do so.
Subd. 5. Adjournment. I
willfully distu
as to render th
not feasible an
removal of indi
disturbance, th
remaining busin
meeting.
Subd. 6.
prior to adjourr.
immediate attent
special meeting.
SECTION 8. WORKSHOP MEET
the event that any meeting is
bed by a group or group of persons so
orderly conduct of such meeting is
when order cannot be restored by the
iduals who are creating the
meeting may be adjourned with the
ss considered at the next regular
If the matter being addressed
ment is of such a nature as to demand
ion, the presiding officer may call a
Subd. 1. General. Workshop meetings of the City Council may
be held at ,the call of the Mayor, who shall serve as
the presiding officer at workshop meetings. No
official Council action will be taken at workshop
meetings.-
,.
Subd. 2. Rules of Procedure and Decorum. The Rules of
Procedures and Decorum of the City Council shall be
observed in wor}~shops so far as they are applicable.
SECTION 9. CAMERA AND
Subd. 1.
Cameras, includ
cameras, electr
other mechanica
devices may be
in such a manne
interference wi
the Council.
SECTION 10. SEPARABILITY
ING DEVICES
llt,/ 1\GVVl\A illy LGYIVG~ L11~ai ~.G\-•
ng television and motion picture
nic sound recording devices and any
electrical or electronic recording
sed in the Council Chamber, but only
as will cause a minimum of
h or disturbance of the proceeding of
Subd. 1. General. If any section, subsection, sentence,
clause, phrase Qr portion of these Rules of Procedure
and Decorum is for any reason held invalid or
unconstitutional by any court of competent
jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed a
separate, distinct and independent provision and such
holding shall not affect the validity of the -
- remaining portions thereof.
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