Chairing a City Council Committee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Debate Start debate with a motion Affirmative motions Recognizing speakers

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

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

12. When to vote Procedure when someone calls the question Voting D

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

14. Voting Placement on the Council's agenda Consent agenda Committee reports

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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Checklist to Help Run the Meeting What to do if comments become inappropriate Ruling comments out of order ??/!#&%@))*!#$^&*!!!!!

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

20. At the Council Meeting Committee report motions MCAT

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

22. 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) 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 $24,258.60. 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 $24,258.60. AAA Construction was the low bidder and the only bidder that responded to the nine people Jack sent information to. The Committee discussed:

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

24. 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.”

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

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

27. 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!

28. Questions???