Changes to Common Council Meetings

Changes in Effect for June 7 Council Meeting

Notice of changes to the way Council meetings are structured

• Public Comment:
  • Public comments are taken at the beginning of the meeting, after honoring resolutions and the consent agenda is read. There is no longer a separate early public comment period (Effective Feb. 2022).
  • Registrants are allowed up to 3 minutes per item (or up to 6 minutes for comments with interpreter).
• Right to Address Common Council:
  • Any person that registers on items on the agenda prior to the completion of the public comment period for that item has the right to speak at Council.
  • The following exclusions apply: Effective June 7, public comment will not be collected for:
    • Any matter referred or re-referred, and the Council adopts that referral as part of the consent agenda. These items are listed on the consent agenda document (Effective June 2022).
    • Any matter where the Council has heard public comment at a previous meeting and the matter has been referred for discussion and action only. (Effective June 2022)
    • The Council may allow public comment in either instance upon a favorable of a majority vote of its members.
• Consent Agenda Document:

The Consent Agenda Document can now be found under "PRESENTATION OF CONSENT AGENDA" header for all Council agendas (Effective Feb. 2022).  It is posted as a link to the meeting agenda on the afternoon of the Council meeting. The document is used to kickstart the meeting and it contains a collection of agenda highlights, additional recommendations such as re-referrals, and a list of agenda item exclusions:

• any public hearing items and recommended actions
• required super-majority votes
• additional recommendations
• exclusions requested by noon on the day of the Council meeting