Effective Local Government
A reader writes, “The city council has never used much parliamentary procedure in our meetings. People speak when they want and sidebar discussions are common. How to ease the council into more parliamentary procedure without confusing them?” It’s a great question. Here are three steps you can take to get your council or board to…
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Jurassic Parliament strongly recommends that local governments establish a policy requiring elected officials to put away their cell phones while on the dais.
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City councilmembers and nonprofit board leaders should not get chummy—too familiar—with their constituents or regular members. Here’s why.
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The Washington Citizen’s Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials chooses half its 20 members by lottery.
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It’s common for people to say “so moved” when they agree with something a speaker says. Often this is a kind of enthusiastic endorsement. BUT…What exactly was moved? If the remarks or proposal were vague, it is not clear what was intended. We recommend that people NOT use this phrase. However, if someone does say, “So moved,” the chair…
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“Can City Council President Ben Stuckart really shut down a meeting whenever he wants?” runs the catchy headline. The answer, of course, is NO!
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May is the month when we celebrate municipal clerks, and Jurassic Parliament is delighted to join in offering kudos to these unsung heroes of our society. When you look under the hood of local government, you find clerks everywhere. They are the dedicated, quiet, consistent, reliable, and hard-working “go to” people who keep our country…
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Meeting minutes recording the actions taken by your council or board are a fundamental part of the meeting process. These are our guidelines for meeting minutes in local government. They refer to ordinary business and work or study meetings of councils, boards and committees. Public hearings are governed by different rules. Download PDF WHAT KIND…
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