Effective Local Government

The First Amendment is not the last word

By Ann Macfarlane / August 18, 2016 /
First Amendment

In this country today, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution is the foundation of our civil liberty.

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4 bad habits to avoid at council meetings

By Ann Macfarlane / August 6, 2016 / Comments Off on 4 bad habits to avoid at council meetings

There are a number of “urban myths” about Robert’s Rules of Order that can get in the way of democratic process for your council. If your municipality, county council, or special district avoids these bad habits, congratulations! If these errors happen at your meetings, however, you might want to bring them to the attention of your colleagues…

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Great planning commission resource now free

By Ann Macfarlane / May 12, 2015 / Comments Off on Great planning commission resource now free
logo of Planners Web

PlannersWeb, a long-time source of excellent advice for planning commissions, has now made all its content available free to all. Check out their website for dozens of invaluable articles and to-the-point guidance. If you are a citizen member of a planning commission, a staff planner, or elected official concerned with planning issues, you’ll find much relevant advice…

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Who may raise a point of order at council meetings?

By Ann Macfarlane / April 17, 2015 /

Over the years of working with parliamentary procedure I’ve found that there is a lot of confusion about the motion “point of order.” In essence, when a person says “point of order” he is making a claim that there has been some procedural mistake. In his view, something has been done incorrectly, and it ought…

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