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Resolution No. 00-23 TIGARD,OREGON RESOLUTION NO.-00-2 3 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF TIGARD,OREGON,REVISING COUNCIL GROUNDRULES REGARDING ABSTEI-ITIONS. WHEREAS,the Tigard City Council periodically reviews Council Groundrules;and WHEREAS,the City Council found that clarification regarding abstentions should be included in the Groundrules; WHEREAS,the City Council interprets"present and voting"in Section 19 of the Charter to exclude those who abstain;now,therefore; THE CITY OF TIGARD RESOLVES THAT: SECTION 1: The City Council Groundrules are amended to add: "Charter Section 19 provides that `the concurrence of a majority of the members of the Council present and voting,when a quorum of the Council is present,at a Council meeting shall be necessary to decide any question before the Council.' A Council member who abstains or passes shall be considered present for determining whether a quorum exists,but shall not be counted as voting. Therefore,abstentions and`passes' shall not be counted in the total vote and only votes in favor of or against a measure shall be counted in determining whether a measure receives a majority." SECTION 2: A copy of the Council Groundrules as amended is attached hereto as Exhibit"A"and incorporated by this reference. PASSED: By uYlaYl.iIY1nILS vote of all Council members present after being read by number and title only,this day of Ina 12000. -eity Rwaider Greer A.Gaston,Deputy City Recorder APPROVED: By Tigard City Council this y of , 2000. Zv NicMayor roved as to form:Attorney .� Date gff/acnJ90024/6—nci1m1e—nd.m1(4/25/00) I 1 EXI-I:EIT"A" Resolution No. 00-_I.,3 CITY COUNCIL GROUNDRULES AND AGENDA PROCESS The following information is intended to assist with preparation for and the conduct of City Council meetings. The City Charter,Article IV,Section 13,contains regulations that govern Council meetings. The Groundrules describe the process followed by Council in scheduling and conducting meetings. Council/Mayor Roles . The Mayor, or in the absence of the Mayor,the Council President, shall be the Presiding Officer at all meetings. The Presiding Officer shall conduct all meetings, preserve order,enforce the rules of the Council and determine the order and length of discussion on any matter before the Council,subject to these rules. The Presiding Officer may move,second,debate and vote and shall not be deprived of any of the rights and privileges of a Councilor. The Presiding Officer shall sign all ordinances, resolutions,contracts and other documents,except where authority to sign certain contracts and other documents has been delegated to the City Manager and all documents shall be attested to by the City Recorder. The Mayor shall appoint the committees provided by the Rules of Council. . In all other actions, decisions and other matters relating to the conduct of business of the City,the Mayor or President shall have nc more or less authority than any other Council member. For the purposes of this written procedure any reference to the Council(unless otherwise specifically noted to the contrary)will include the Mayor, President and Council members. Conduct of City Meetings • Council will meet at least once a month. Regularly scheduled meetings shall be on the second,third,and fourth Tuesdays of each month. j The Council meetincs on the second and fourth Tuesdays are'Business"meetings; the Council meetings on the third Tuesday of the month are"Workshop"meetings unless otherwise designated by the City Council. . Unless specifically noted otherwise,the meetings of Council shall begin at 6:30 p.m. at the established place of meeting. On the second and fourth Tuesdays the meetings will begin with:a Study Session following by the Business meeting. On ' the third Tuesday,the Workshop meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. . Roll Call/Voting Order. The roll shall be called in alphabetical order by last name. At each succeeding meeting at which a roll call vote is taken,the council person 1 ® who voted last during the previous meeting,shall vote;first and the Council person who voted first during t,,)preceding meeting shall vote second and so on in a rotating fashion. It is the intent that the voting order remain fixed for each meeting and that a different Council person shall vote last during each separate meeting for the duration of the meeting. Charter Section 19 provides that'the concurrence of a majority of the members of the Council present and voting,when a quorum of the Council is present,at a Council meeting sha!I be necessary to decide any question before the Council.' A Council member who abstains or passes shall be considered present for determining whether a quorum exists, but shall not be counted as voting. Therefore,abstentions and'passes'shall not be counted in the total vote and only votes in favor of or against a measure shall be counted+n determining whether a measure receives a majority, e The Chair,or other members if the Chair fails to remember,shall call for a Point of Order at or around 9:30 p.m.to review remaining items on the agenda with the Th-Gn,.nC.il may reset or renchodule those items,which it feels mav_ not be reached prior to the regular time of adjournment. • The Council's goal is to adjourn prior to 10 p.m.unless extended by majority consent of all Council member then present. If not continued by majority consent, then the meeting shall be adjourned to either the next scheduled meeting or the meeting shall be continued to a special meeting on another date. Definitions-Meeting Types,Study Sessions and Executive Sessions: > BUSINESS MEETINGS: Business meetings are regular meetings where Council may deliberate toward a final decision on an agenda item including consideration of ordinances,resolutions&conducting public hearings. Business meetings are open to the public. The fire business meeting on each month is usually televised. Business meetings are generally scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.with a study session preceding the Business Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Study Sessions are a workshop-type of meeting(see definition below)which also provide an opportunity for the Council to review the business meeting agenda and to ask questions for clarification on issues or on process. Study Sessions are open to the public. iAll Council meetings are open to the public with the exception of i Executive Sessions. Executive Sessions can be called under certain circumstances and topics are limited to those defined by ORS 192.660. - The"Visitor's Agenda"is a regular feature on the Council Business meetir cgs. This item will be placed near the beginning of the Council Agenda to give citizens and visitors a chance to introduce a topic to the City Council. Council may decide to refer 2 an issue to staff and/or schedule the topic for a later C:ouncii meeting. > WORKSHOPS MEETING: Workshop meetings are regular meetings where Council reviews and discusses agenda topics with no intent of deliberating toward a final decision during the meeting. Workshop meetings ara not scheduled to be televised but are open to the public. Workshop agenda items are generally topics which Council is receiving preliminary information and providing direction for further analysis and staff information gathering for a later business meeting. Workshop topics may also include discussions with standing boards and committees,as well as other governmental units. Appropriate topics for Aforkshop meetings include: - Introduce a Topic: Staff will bring up new items to determine whether Council wants to entertain further discussion and whether to schedule the topic as an item on a future agenda- - Educational Meetings: Council will review researcn information presented by staff,consultants,or task forces-usually as a process check;i.e.is the issue on the right"track'? -- Meet with individuals from City boards and committees or other jurisdictions to discuss items of common interest(examples: other Councils,the School District,and other officials). -• Administrative Updates: Items such as calendar information, scheduling preferences,process checks. > STUDY SESSIONS: Study Sessions precede or follow a Business Meeting or Workshop Meeting. As stated above,they are conducted in a Workshop-type setting to provide an opportunity for Council to review the Business Meeting Agenda and to ask questions for clarification on issues or on process. Information is also shared on items that are time sensitive. During Study Sessions,any Council member may call for a Point of Order whenever he or she wishes to stop the"discussion" because he or she feels that it is more appropriate for the City Council to discuss the matter during the Council meeting. If a Point of Order is raised,the City Council will discuss the Point of Order and determine whether the"discussion"should continue on to be held during the Council meeting. The decision on whether to continue the"discussion" or not shall be determined by the majority vote of the Council members present. If Council discusses a Council Agenda Topic in a Study Session prior to a Council meeting,either the Presiding Officer or City Manager will'briefly state at the introduction of the Agenda Topic,the fact that Council discussed the topic in the Study Session and mention the key points of the discussion. > EXECUTIVE SESSIONS: Meetings conducted by the Council,City Manager,and appropriate staff in a setting closed to the public for deliberation on certain matters. Executive Sessions may be held during a regular,special or emergency meeting after the presiding officer has 3 tee® �I identified the authorization of ORS for holding the Executive Session. Among the permitted topics are employment of a public officer, deliberations with the persons designated by the Council to carry on labor negotiations,deliberations with persons designated to negotiate real property transactions,and to consult with legal counsel regarding current litigation or litigation likely to be filed. Policy Regarding Interrelationships Between the City Council and Its Appointed Commissions. Boards or Committees (hereinafter referred to as"Boards") • The Council shah follow the Procedure for Recruitment and Appointments to Boards and Committees established in Resolution No.95-60. • Appointments to any committees not covered by Resolution No.95-60 shall be made following the procedure provided within the Resolution or Ordinance,which created the committee. . Appointments to intergovernmental committees shall be made by Council Action. • Appointments of Council members to Wemal City committees as the Council Liaison shall be made by the City Council. . It is Council policy to make known to the public,by notice in the Cityscape,of the occurrence of vacancies on City boards for the purpose of informing persons who ray be interested in appointment. • Council will entertain regular representation by persons outside the City on those boards,which provide for such non-city membership. The Mayor and one Council member will serve on the Mayor's Appointment Advisory Commitee for the purpose of interviewing and recommending potential board members. Council members will serve on this Committee with the Mayor on a rotated basis for a term of six months. i erns shall begin January 1 and July 1. Communications Between City Councilors, City Manager and Staff 1o Councilors are encouraged to maintain open communications with the City Manager, both as a group and individually in one-on-one sessions. . Councilors are encouraged to direct inquiries through the City Manager,giving as much information as possible to ensure a thorough response. i . In the absence of the City Manager,Councilors are encouraged to contact the Assistant to the City Manager. in the absence of both the City Manager and+he ' Assistant to the City Manager,Councilors are encouraged to contact the Department Head,realizing that the Department Head will discuss any such inquiries with the City Manager. ® I • Contacts below Vie Department Head are discouraged due to the possible disruption of wotle,confusion on priorities,and limited scope of response. Council Agendas and packet Information • The City Manager will schedule agenda items while attempting to maintain balanced agendas to allow for discussion of topics while meeting the established 10 p.m. adjournment time. • The City Manager will schedule items allowing time for staff research and the agenda cycle deadlines. • The agenda cycle calls for submittal of items 10 days in advance of a Council meeting. Add-ons are to be minimized,and handouts idouts distiibuti=d ai the siari of meetings,except Executive Sessions. • Councilors and staff will prepare in advance of puNir_.meetings and issi ins Should be presented fully in packets. • Council is supportive of the role staff should play in offering professional recommendations. Staff is aware of Council's right to make final decisions after considering the staff recommendation, public input,the record and Council deliberation on the matter. Communications Among Councilors • Councilors are encouraged to suggest agenda topics at the bench or to contact the City Manager about scheduling an item into the Tentative Agenda. • Add-on Agenda items should be brought up at the start of the meeting and generally considered only if continuing to 2 later agenda is not appropriate. • Requests for legis!ative action of Council may be initiated by an individual Council member during a Council meeting. The City Manager will respond to the request consistent with resources and priorities,or refer the question of scheduling to Council as a whole. Communications with Community/General Public • Councilors and the General Public are reminded of the Agenda cycle and cut-off dates. Administrative staff is available to explain how public issues are handled and how citizen Input may be accomplished. • "Official"communication should come through City Hall and be provided by the City i Manager. Direct submittal or inquiries to the Council or individual Councilors should be referred to the City Manager or Councilors may ask the City Manger to look into an issue. s Official'press releases"are encouraged,both to assure accurate reporting and to advise Council and Staff of the official position communicated to the press. Press releases are through the City Manager's Office. General • Councilors are always Councilors in the eyes of the Administration,never simply private citizens. Thus,Councilors are always treated by Administration as Council Members. • Information that"affects"the Council should go to Council. The City Manager is to decide on"gray areas,"but too much information is preferable to too little. Budget cuts or increases are policy decisions. Budgets will not be cut"piece meal" or"across the bcard,"but rather should be made in service cr program areas,giving Staff full opportunity to provide data clearly defining the anticipated impact of the action • It is the policy of the Council that if Councilors are contacted regarding labor relations during labor negotiations or conflict resolution proceedings,then Councilors have no comment. Councilors and the City Manager agree to report and discuss any contact,which might affect labor relations with the entire Council in Executive Session. . The Council Groundrules will be submitted for review by Council each year either in the July or August Workshop Meeting. The Groundrules can be reviewed and revised at any other time in the year when a specific issue or issues are identified requiring action prior to the established review period. gff/acm/90024/cou ncil r�!cs.exa(4/17/00) i i i fi 1 t S I