Effective Local Government
Readers may enjoy this article published by the Auburn Reporter about a recent Jurassic Parliament assignment. Parliamentarian schools City Council on how to be civil council
Read MoreWhen city councils, school boards or other public bodies hold their meetings, it is usual to reserve a time in the meeting for members of the public to speak to their elected officials. One common name for this is the public comment period.
Read MoreUpdated March 11, 2020 – see link to news story below. When city councils, school boards or other public bodies hold their meetings, it is usual to reserve a time in the meeting for members of the public to speak to their elected officials. One common name for this is the public comment period. We…
Read MoreIf you serve as an elected official on a local government council or board, you should know the types of remarks that are inappropriate during discussion at meetings. Robert’s Rules of Order and the common parliamentary law it is based on require that: Members of a council or board must be courteous to one another.…
Read MoreAs we head into the Fourth of July holiday, I would like to thank all my readers who are involved in local government.
Read MoreChairing a meeting requires two skills that are not easy to combine. The presider has to control the meeting, which requires strength. At the same time, he has to remain emotionally connected to the members, which requires warmth. Put too much strength into your voice, and you come across as cold and uncaring. Put too…
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50 Guidelines for Public Comment in Local Government
Updated September 20, 2023 The public comment period is an essential part of local government meetings. This new publication offers 50 guidelines for public comment, and includes a sample public comment announcement. It is an update from our 2018 guidelines. These guidelines refer to ordinary business and work or study meetings of councils, boards and…
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