WS - D - City Council Procedural Rules, Conduct and Resources

Presiding Officer during the remainder of the meeting. Arguing with the Presiding Officer about any determination will be considered per se disruptive. Citizens making personal, repetitive, slanderous, or disruptive remarks or engaging in any action that otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of a council meeting shall not be recognized by the presiding officer during the remainder of the meeting. To ensure the meeting is conducted orderly and free from interference or interruption, the presiding officer is vested with exclusive discretion to review and determine whether remarks or actions meet any prohibited terms of this rule. Rule 23. Rules of Conduct. The following rules are adopted for the conduct of those attending Council meetings: 1. Only persons recognized by the Presiding Officer will be allowed to speak. The Council wishes to hear from members of the public as part of respectful, civil discussion and ensure that members of the public do not feel bullied or intimidated. These rules are intended to promote an orderly and dignified system of conducting a public meeting, to give every interested person an opportunity to be heard without being chilled from doing so, and to ensure that no individual is deprived of their right to petition their government. Applause is permitted following proclamations and special recognitions. 2. All remarks must be addressed to the Council as a body, and not toward any City employee or Council Member individually. 3. Public comment is intended so that members of the public may be heard by Council. To comply with open meetings laws and proper meeting procedure, Council cannot engage in discussion or debate until the appropriate time for Council discussion. However, once the commenter has left the podium, Council may ask staff to respond to a concern or question posed by the public, or to follow up with the speaker. 4. Persons may address each agenda item only once. 5. Organized groups that wish to make a presentation longer than the public comment period time allows may consolidate the speaking time of persons who are present and willing to give up their speaking time on the subject agenda item. Said consolidation may result in no more than six minutes of speaking time for any single speaker. 6. No person shall be permitted to enter the demarcated area in front of or behind Council Members without the permission of the Presiding Officer. Rule 24. Failure to Follow Council Rules. To enable the Council to transact the business of the City and conduct efficient meetings, persons other than Council Members who violate these rules and/or fail to follow the direction of the Presiding Officer on more than one occasion during a Council meeting shall face sanctions, including the following: 1. A verbal warning; or 2. Not being recognized to speak at the remainder of the same Council meeting; or 3. Being directed to leave the Council meeting; or 4. Being suspended from attending one or more subsequent Council meetings The Presiding Officer is empowered to make the determination of when violations have occurred, and to impose the appropriate sanction, which will normally be progressive in nature. Steps may be skipped if the violation is sufficiently egregious. Failure to adhere to sanctions imposed are grounds for additional sanctions. 4