Rob's blog

Other than boring?  The council chambers are on the third floor in city hall. Come in and take a seat anywhere except for the big imposing ones up on the dais (they tend to be a little expensive!) There is an agenda for the meeting that can be picked up on the table outside the room as you come in and signup sheets if you want to say something about an item on the agenda during a public hearing item or anything else on or off the agenda during citizens' comments. The mayor raps the gave a few times to call the meeting to order. Someone is asked to come to lead everyone in reciting the pledge of allegiance.

If there is a presentation of some kind like swearing in of new officers or council members, those happen first. After presentations are done, then we go to Citizens' comments. You have 3 minutes (when you hear the beeps, that is your sign to wrap up) to talk about anything not on the agenda or not a public hearing item. This is your time to address the council on whatever you want, but they will not be able to respond to your questions at that time since state law requires noticing of items for the public in advance before they can take official action, and if you just bring it up, the rest of the public needs a chance to weigh in on it. Someone will be assigned to get back to you if your comments request it.

After citizens comments, the council votes on the consent calendar. These are usually considered to be non-controversial items, but if a council person wants to discuss one or more in more detail, it is "pulled" by that person and the rest are voted on. If you want to comment on one of these items, you need to ask your question during citizens comments.

We then go to public hearings. State law requires certain changes to get official public hearings before they can be acted on, so they are conducted at this time. A staff member is asked to present the details, the council gets to ask questions to better understand the issue, and then the public is invited to comment if they want. You can have filled out a comment form or raise your hand to come up and address the council with your input. After everyone has been heard, the mayor closes the public hearing and goes back to the council for further discussion or motions on the item. It can be tabled (brought back later), approved, denied, sent back for additional study or recommendations, or whatever is appropriate for the item.

After public hearings, business items are last. These are items that usually require more discussion and deliberation before acting on them. The public is not invited to comment during this time, so if you have an opinion about one of these items, you need to do it during citizens comments. How do you know the details? A copy of the council packet that has all the background materials for each agenda item is on the staff table on the east (right) side of the chamber. Copies are also available online, in the city manager's office, and in both county libraries in our city no later than the Friday before a council meeting.

That's about it. If it is a short meeting, it can go pretty fast. Long meetings tend to drag out, and of course it always happens that the issue you are most interested in is the last on the agenda. You just can't win! If you miss the council meeting, the audio of the meeting can be heard online from the city's web site.