Chairing a City Council Committee Presented by: Marty Rehbein City Clerk

I’ve been elected chair, now what? Organize Ensure participation Respectful productive atmosphere Get business done!

Committee Membership Who’s on 1 st ? Committee membership Voting Abandoned committee assignments.

Organizing your Meetings Plan the time required for your meeting –Prepare an agenda

Organizing Your Meetings Plan the time required for your meeting (cont.): –Determine the time each agenda item will take

Organizing Meetings How to find some "flex" in the committee schedule, if you need it.

Inviting Participation When to invite public comment Reasonable speaking limits are allowed.

Inviting Citizen Participation How to invite citizen comment Put folks at ease Thank the citizen for their testimony.

Debate Start debate with a motion Affirmative motions Recognizing speakers

Debate Staff and citizen participation during debate What to do when time is running short

Scheduling Another Meeting 48 hours notice Inform the City Clerk’s office Staff and citizens Minutes Meeting room

When to vote –Procedure when someone calls the question D Voting

–Calling for the vote Voice vs. Roll call –Announce the outcome The motion carries.

Voting Placement on the Council's agenda –Consent agenda –Committee reports

Voting Getting an item to the floor when the committee is deadlocked

Checklist to Help Run the Meeting Make a list of speakers Balance the discussion with the amount of meeting time Focus on the motion under consideration

Set fair, impartial speaking limits. If the committee is dealing with a difficult subject, begin the meeting by stating your expectation that the meeting proceed in a thoughtful, respectful, productive way. Checklist to Help Run the Meeting

What to do if comments become inappropriate Ruling comments out of order ))*!#$^&*!!!! !

At the Council Meeting Consent agenda Removing items from the consent agenda

At the Council Meeting Committee report motions MCAT

At the Council Meeting Make the motion approved by the committee Help from the agenda and committee reports

At the Council Meeting So the whole motion is: –“The committee recommends the City Council approve and authorize the Mayor to enter into a contract with ABC Company for widget designing services in the amount of $56,200.” You’ll also find this language listed in bold under the agenda item in the relevant committee report. B.Award the bid to install floor drains in the City Shop – Regular Agenda. (Jack Stucky) (Referred to Committee: 12/19/05)Award the bid to install floor drains in the City Shop – Regular Agenda. (Jack Stucky) (Referred to Committee: 12/19/05) Motion: The committee recommends the City Council award the bid to install floor drains in the City Shop to AAA Construction of Missoula in the amount of $24, Jack Stucky, Vehicle Maintenance Superintendent, asked City Council to award the bid to install floor drains in the City Shop to AAA Construction in the amount of $24, AAA Construction was the low bidder and the only bidder that responded to the nine people Jack sent information to. The Committee discussed:

Preparing for Public Hearings Review the informal agenda each weekend Make the motion Staff can help

Public Hearings Use the Council agenda to assist you in crafting a motion. Positive motions are less confusing Well you see, sometimes “YES” means “NO.”

Council meeting audio demo June 9, 2008 Council Meeting AudioJune 9, 2008 Council Meeting Audio Benefits –Better recording quality –Multi-tasking –Faster access than committee reports –Easy to duplicate

Getting a Good Recording Call on speakers during Q & A back and forth One person speaks at a time Speak clearly into the microphone

In Summary Organize the committee and its meetings Ensure participation for members, staff and the public Maintain a respectful atmosphere and keep the discussion on topic Get business done!

Questions???