Council Discussion of Agenda “Structure”

At the 9.25.23 work session, the Council talked about agenda structure, more specifically, consent agenda^[1] items. Watch the conversation.

This Council has a history of controlling resident engagement. Resident initiated  Emails, phone calls and Matters From the Floor have been points of anxiety for Council members and residents alike.  

• The Council acknowledged that a member may remove an item and have it placed on the agenda for discussion, later in the meeting.
• Several Council members were firm that residents cannot remove an item for further discussion, though some other cities allow it.
• The Council said a resident could contact a member with an item of concern, and that member could remove the item from the consent agenda, at will.
• If the Council member agrees that the matter deserves Council attention, that member would have up to three minutes to prove their case to support the item being added to a future agenda.
• The Council was clear that even if that happened, it would take a consensus of ⅗ of the Council to move the item ahead.
• A resident in the audience will have no opportunity to speak or “lobby” the Council during the discussion.
• To accommodate this change, future agendas will reflect an item “Council Reports and Discussion.”
• A resident may also bring up a subject directly to the Council at Matters from the Floor. The outcome is the same with the Council considering the request later in the Agenda, and then agreeing by consensus that the topic is worthy of further action.
  
  

  See the discussion.  The back-up material included documentation from the Minnesota Mayors Association as a guideline.

1. A consent agenda groups routine meeting discussion points into a single agenda item. In so doing, the grouped items can be approved in one action, rather than through the filing of multiple motions. ↑