Meeting Vocabulary City of Tigard
a
Meeting Vocabulary
1. Hearing Procedures 3. Ordinances
"Consensus"refers to an informal acknowledgment that a Ordinances constitute the City's local laws. Formal action,
majority of the council agree on a particular position. No formal with adoption by a majority of council is required to enact an
vote is taken,and the action is not binding, but it does provide ordinance.
staff with the general direction the council wishes to proceed
with respect to a particular matter. Absent a different effective date,and except for ordinances
with emergency clauses,an ordinance generally becomes
The council may also express an opinion,adopt or establish effective by operation of law 30 days after passage by the
a policy,or direct further action by motion.A motion must be Council. If the ordinance contains an emergency clause,
adopted by a majority vote, is usually oral,and the only it becomes immediately effective upon passage by an
documentation of the action is by reference to the council affirmative vote of the majority of Council. An ordinance may
minutes. Motions are most frequently utilized to direct staff to also include provision of a specific effective date(subject
prepare reports or take certain actions. to the limitations noted above)in order to implement its
2. Resolutions provisions at a time certain.
Resolutions generally deal with matters of a special or An ordinance will be utilized to add,amend,or repeal sections
temporary nature and reflect an expression of council opinion of the City's code(the City's compilation of local laws),and
or policy. As with motions, resolutions are adopted by a may also involve any other subject matter where the intent
majority vote. They are valuable information tools because is to establish a permanent or long-term rule, policy or
they are written documents that can be readily accessed to procedure. In addition,some state statutes,city charter or
confirm the nature of the action taken. code provisions may require that the Council act by ordinance
a. Resolutions often contain findings or recitals that provide
in specific situations.Some common examples include:
information. Resolutions may: a.granting franchises;
b. Call public hearings b.withdrawing annexed territories from special districts
(i.e.,water);
c. Adopt specific policies or plans(other than land use plans)
c. condemning real property;
d. State an official position on global or statewide political
d.levying assessments;
concerns
e. Commend or honor an individual's service to the city or e.amending comprehensive land use plans.
community Unless an ordinance directs a specific action or contains its
f. Adopt the budget own expiration date,it remains in effect until amended or
repealed by another ordinance.Some ordinances will contain
g. Establish city funds and authorize transfers between funds findings that in essence provide a legislative history for the
h. Form a local improvement district action being taken,while others,such as land use ordinances,
are required to contain findings that show conformance with
i. Call an election statewide planning goals.