HomeMy WebLinkAbout0207 CONDUCTING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGSCITY OF BAKERSFIELD
COUNCIL POLICY STATEMENT
CP No. 2.7
SUBJECT: CONDUCTING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
SECTION: CHAPTER TWO
POLICY: ADOPTION OF POLICY FOR RECEIVING PUBLIC
STATEMENTS AT COUNCIL MEETINGS
STATEMENT: Amendment No. 1 to Resolution No. 206-2021 establishing a
Council Policy for conducting City Council Meetings to revise
the Policy for receiving public statements at Council Meetings.
ADOPTION:
Agenda Item No./Date 7.d.4.; February 14, 2024
Approved by City Council Res. No. 206-2021 (1)
Amended by City Council February 14, 2024
Prior Resolutions Res No. 206-2021
S \Council\POLICIES\STATMENT\FORM CPS
RESOLUTION NO. 206-2021(1)
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO RESOLUTION NO. 206-2021
ESTABLISHING A COUNCIL POLICY FOR CONDUCTING
CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS TO REVISE THE POLICY FOR
RECEIVING PUBLIC STATEMENTS AT COUNCIL MEETINGS.
WHEREAS, the City Council previously revised the rules and regulations
governing the conduct of City Council meetings via Council policy adopted by
Resolution No. 206-2021 in November 2021; and
WHEREAS, the Council desires to amend that policy in order to revise the
manner and order that members of the public may provide public statements for
certain items listed on a City Council meeting agenda; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the amended policy is to defer certain public
statements until after City staff has provided a presentation and/or staff
recommendation on Reports, Deferred Business, and New Business items on the
agenda.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Bakersfield
as follows:
1) The above recitals are true and correct and incorporated herein by
reference.
2) The City Council hereby adopts the Policy for Conducting City Council
Meetings as set forth in the revised Exhibit A, attached hereto and
incorporated by reference herein.
3) This Resolution shall become effective on March 1, 2024.
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Amendment No. 1 to Resolution No. 206-2021
1
HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution was passed and adopted
by the Council of the City of Bakersfield at a regular meeting thereof held on
FEB 14 2024 , by the following vote:
ES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN
ABSENT:
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ v' ✓
COUNCIL MEMBER ARIAS, GONZALES, WEIR, SMITH, FREEMAN, GRAY, KAUR
COUNCIL MEMBER
COUNCIL MEMBER
COUNCIL MEMBER
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JULIE DRIMAKIS, CPMC, MMC
CITY CLERK and Ex Officio of the
Council of the City of Bakersfield
APPROVED FEB 1 4 2024
By
KAREN GOH
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
By ��iYLGG'�fc0
ASHLEY OAMBRANO
Deputy City Attorney
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Attachment: Exhibit A
5:\C0UNCIL\Resos\23-24\Amend No. 1 to Reso 206-2021_Council Policy -Council Procedures(Final(.docx
Amendment No. 1 to Resolution No. 206-2021
2
EXHIBIT A
POLICY FOR CONDUCTING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
SECTION 1. RULES OF ORDER.
Except as otherwise provided in this policy, the city charter, or other Council policy, the
City Council shall generally follow Robert's Rules of Order, current edition.
SECTION 2. DUTIES OF PRESIDING OFFICER.
The duties of the presiding officer shall be:
A. To call the meeting to order;
B. To recognize the members entitled to the floor;
C. To preserve and enforce order and decorum;
D. To consider and decide, in the presiding officer's sole discretion, requests for
extensions of time during public statements and public hearings;
E. To reorder items of business on the agenda to promote meeting efficiency, if
determined appropriate in the presiding officer's sole discretion;
F. To decide all points of order, unless when in doubt the presiding officer prefers to
submit the question to the decision of the body,
G. Generally to guide and direct the proceedings of the body, subject to the control
and will of the body;
H. To carry out any other duties as specified in the city charter.
SECTION 3. SERGEANT AT ARMS.
A. There shall be a sergeant at arms, who shall be the Chief of Police or designee.
B. The sergeant at arms shall atten
direction of the presiding officer,
chambers.
SECTION 4. ORDER OF BUSINESS.
d
all regular sessions, and shall, under the
maintain order on the floor of the Council
A. Except as may otherwise be set by resolution of the City Council, regular meetings
of the Council shall generally be noticed for 3:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. on the first
and third Wednesdays of each month. The primary reason for the 3:30 p.m.
meetings is to handle closed session matters, but the city manager has discretion
to place other matters on said agenda.
Amendment No. 1 to Resolution No. 206-2021
3 m
B. At the time set for regular meetings of the City Council, the business of the Council
shall be taken up for consideration and generally discussed in the following order:
1. Roll Call;
2. Invocation;
3. Pledge of Allegiance;
4. Presentations;
5. Public Statements:
a. Non -Agenda Item Public Statements;
b. Agenda Item Public Statements for Item 6 (Appointments) and Item
7 (Consent Calendar);
6. Appointments;
7. Consent Calendar;
8. Consent Calendar Public Hearings,
9. Public Hearings,
10. Reports;
a. Staff Presentation/Recommendation
b. Public Statements
11. Deferred Business;
a. Staff Presentation/Recommendation
b. Public Statements
12. New Business;
a. Staff Presentation/Recommendation
b. Public Statements
13. Council and Mayor Statements;
14. Closed Session (if continued from 3:30 p.m.);
15. Adjournment.
Amendment No. 1 to Resolution No. 206-2021
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C. The order of business set forth above may be changed by the city manager prior
to the posting of the agenda to allow for a smooth and orderly flow of business
during the meeting.
SECTION 5. CONSENT CALENDAR.
A. The consent calendar is comprised of one or more items of routine nature which
may be approved at one time by affirmative roll call vote.
B. Only a Councilmember may remove an item(s) from the consent calendar which
shall be voted upon separately from all other items on said consent calendar.
C. Any Councilmember may declare a conflict of interest, indicate the cause of the
conflict and request the city clerk to record their abstention from the vote on any
item or items on the consent calendar. That Councilmember's vote on the consent
calendar shall be recorded only for those items for which that Councilmember did
not declare a conflict and the city clerk shall record the abstention of the remaining
issues.
D. The minutes of the previous Council meeting, which shall be action -style minutes,
may be approved as part of the consent calendar.
SECTION 6. CONSENT CALENDAR PUBLIC HEARINGS.
A. Consent calendar public hearings are those matters which shall be set for public
hearing but are considered routine and non -controversial. Consent calendar
public hearings may be simultaneously opened and closed by the presiding officer
and approved at one time by affirmative roll call vote.
B. Prior to opening the hearing, the presiding officer shall inquire as to whether any
member of the public or Council wishes to remove a matter from the consent
calendar public hearings. Any such item so removed shall be placed at the end
of the Public Hearings portion of the meeting.
SECTION 7. PUBLIC STATEMENTS.
A. Any person may address the Council on any item of interest to the public that is
within the subject matter jurisdiction of the City Council as follows:
1. Agenda Items. All persons desiring to address the Council on an item listed
on the agenda shall speak during the appropriate time designated for such
item on the agenda. Public statements concerning Appointments and
Consent Calendar items shall be heard at the designated time, prior to those
items being called. Public statements concerning Reports, Deferred
Business, and New Business items on the agenda shall be heard after staff
presentation/recommendation on those items. Speakers shall be limited to
two (2) minutes per person, twenty (20) minutes per agenda item. Note: The
Consent Calendar as a whole constitutes one agenda item.
Amendment No. 1 to Resolution No. 206-2021
2. Non -Agenda Items. All persons desiring to address the Council on a
general item of interest within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Council
that is not listed on the agenda shall speak during the Non -Agenda Item
Public Statements portion of the meeting. Speakers shall be limited to two
(2) minutes per person, twenty (20) minutes total. Speakers who do not
identify the topic on which they wish to speak will be presumed speakers
for Non -Agenda Item Public Statements and called during that portion of the
meeting.
3. Public Hearings. All persons wishing to address the Council regarding a
matter set for public hearing at that meeting shall make their comments
during the open public hearing on that matter, pursuant to the public hearing
procedures set forth in Section 8.
B. All persons wishing to address the Council during a meeting will be asked to fill
out and return to the city clerk a speaker's card provided by the city clerk. The
purpose of the speaker's cards is to facilitate orderly and relevant public
statements during the appropriate portions of the meeting; however, filling out a
speaker's card is voluntary and shall not be a prerequisite to providing a public
statement. The speaker's cards shall provide a place for speakers to identify
which item on the agenda they wish to speak, or alternatively, whether they wish
to provide a Non -Agenda Item Public Statement.
C. No person shall address the Council until recognized by the mayor or presiding
officer. Councilmembers who wish to allow a member of the audience to speak at
times other than the time designated for the public statement, or after a public
hearing has been closed, may do so only with the permission of the presiding
officer.
D. Unless otherwise determined by the Council, the presiding officer shall determine
whether a speaker's statement is a matter within the subject matter jurisdiction of
the City Council.
SECTION 8. HEARINGS.
A. Hearings. Scheduled public hearings are to be conducted in the following order:
1. Presentation by staff and recommendation;
2. Public hearing is opened by the presiding officer;
3. Presentation by opponents, limited to fifteen minutes total for all speakers;
provided, however, additional time may be granted by the presiding officer;
4. Presentation by proponents, with the time limits specified in subsection
(A)(3), and such equivalent additional time as may have been granted to
opponents;
Amendment No. 1 to Resolution No. 206-2021
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5. Where a hearing is the result of an appeal, the order of presentation shall
be reversed and the appellant shall proceed first, the time limits provisions
of subsection (A)(3) shall apply;
6. Summation by both sides limited to five minutes each; provided, however,
both sides may be granted additional time by the presiding officer;
7. Public hearing is closed by the presiding officer;
8. Council discussion and Council decision.
B. Spokesperson for Group of Persons. In order to expedite matters and avoid
repetitious presentations, whether 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 the event additional matters are to be presented at the time by any other member
having like views as the group, to limit the number of such persons addressing the
Council and limit the time for each person.
SECTION 9. RULES OF DEBATE.
A. Presiding Officer May Debate and Vote. In the absence of the mayor, the vice -
mayor or such other member of the Council as may be presiding may move,
second and debate from the chair, subject only to such limitations of debate as are
by these rules imposed on all members and shall not be deprived of any of the
rights and privileges as a Councilmember by reason of their acting as the presiding
officer.
B. Getting the Floor —Improper References to be Avoided. Every member desiring to
speak shall address the chair, and upon recognition by the presiding officer, shall
discuss only the question under debate, avoiding all personalities and indecorous
language.
C. Interruptions. A member, once recognized, shall not be interrupted when speaking
unless called to order, or as otherwise provided in this section. If a member, while
speaking, is called to order, said member shall cease speaking until the question
of order is determined, and, if in order, shall be permitted to proceed.
D. Remarks of Mayor. The mayor may express views on any subject for consideration
by the Council and may file any written recommendations with the clerk.
SECTION 10. COUNCILMEMBER DISSENT AGAINST COUNCIL ACTION.
Any Councilmember may state the reason for dissent from or protest against any action
of the Council.
Amendment No. 1 to Resolution No. 206-2021
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SECTION 11. ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS, MOTIONS AND CONTRACTS.
A. Preparation of Ordinances. All ordinances shall be reviewed by the city attorney.
No ordinance shall be prepared for presentation to the Council unless ordered by
a majority vote of the Council, or referred by a Council committee, or prepared or
recommended by the city attorney on her or his own initiative (e.g., "ordinance
clean-ups" to reflect current practice or correct typographical and grammatical
errors, or to comply with new rules and regulations).
B. Prior Approval by Administrative Staff. All ordinances, resolutions and contract
documents shall, before presentation to the Council, have been approved as to
form and legality by the city attorney or authorized representative, and shall have
been examined and approved for the administration by the city manager or
authorized representative, where there are substantive matters of administration
involved.
SECTION 12. ADJOURNMENT.
A motion to adjourn shall always be in order and decided without debate.
SECTION 13. COMPLIANCE.
Failure to strictly adhere to this policy shall not be grounds for setting aside any action
or vote of the City Council.
Amendment No. 1 to Resolution No. 206-2021
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