City Council Meeting Rules of Procedure (Nov 2023)

[council3_rubal]

Fellow Councilmembers,

Please take the time to review: CITY COUNCIL MEETING RULES OF PROCEDURE (Nov 2023)
I have attached a complete .pdf of this file (all 33 rules) to this post.
You may also find useful a link to Robert's Rules.org. https://robertsrules.org/motions.html

Thank you for your time in reviewing.


CITY COUNCIL MEETING RULES OF PROCEDURE (Nov 2023)
General Provisions

Rule 1. Scope of Rules. These rules shall govern the conduct of the Council and shall be interpreted to ensure fair and open deliberations and decision making. In general, these rules shall be interpreted to allow the majority to prevail but preserve the right of the minority to be heard.

Rule 2. Rulings; Matters Not Covered. The Presiding Officer, as defined by Rule 15, shall rule, initially, on all questions of procedure. The latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order, shall to the extent feasible, govern the proceedings of meetings. The City Attorney or authorized representative shall act as Parliamentarian for Council Meetings.

Rule 3. Interpretation. These rules are intended to supplement and shall be interpreted to

conform with the statutes of the State of Texas and the ordinances of the City of Universal City.

Rule 3. Interpretation. These rules are intended to supplement and shall be interpreted to conform with the statutes of the State of Texas and the ordinances of the City of Universal City.

There are a total of 33 City Council meeting Rules and Procedures. Find attached the complete list (Approved 2023)

 

[council4_vaughan]

I think the Mayor wants to change 8A and I am in agreement to try it. It can be awkward to request agenda items during councilmember comments because we are not really supposed to talk about it....but you kinda need to talk about it to make a pitch for consideration. Also, other councilmembers feel the need to express why they are giving consensus the way they are. Also, we never seem to know how to get a consensus without taking a vote even though we are not taking a vote.

To make the process simpler, I would like a standardized form to request agenda items that goes to the mayor and city manager. Something that states who is requesting it and a little background. This gives the mayor and city manager a chance to consider it and maybe address it without it becoming an agenda item. Not everything needs to be an agenda item, especially if the staff like the idea and run with it. Or, if the mayor agrees, he can unilaterally add it to the agenda without the awkward discussion at the meeting. If he disagrees, then the request goes onto the agenda to be voted on by the rest of council to be a future agenda item. The request form could be in the agenda packet and voted on. This would limit surprises and let councilmembers give it more consideration before their vote.

I think it could be a win-win as long as we spell the process out, so everyone knows what the steps are and can hold people accountable. If we leave it without a form/process, then it becomes more up to interpretation and could foster frustration. This is why I think a form is important. What I think the policy should cover is:

1. An example request form
2. How long the mayor has to respond (perhaps a week?)
3. Which agenda it goes on (e.g. next agenda after the one week response period unless extended by agreement between the requestor/mayor)
4. Where requests go on the agenda if the mayor does not agree to add it unilaterally (e.g. a section at the end that is just votes on proposed future agenda items).

What do you guys think?