Is your council puzzled by these 15 issues?
September 19, 2024 / /
© Can Stock Photo/Vectomart
Dear reader,
A friend recently sent me this list of 15 issues that are puzzling for the council he staffs. Does your council struggle with any of these? Let us know by sending an email here! This will help us tailor our training to your real needs.
Many of these issues are addressed in self-paced online course, Great City Council Meetings, available here.
- Agenda review/approval process, and how to alter an agenda after it is adopted at a meeting; who does the agenda belong to?
- Unanimous consent versus “general consensus” and head nods
- Why are clear motions important? Why do we not say “so moved”?
- Use of Agenda Bills. Usually our motions are to approve an agenda bill, and Council seems very restrained by this and don’t know there’s a universe of options
- How are amending motions properly made and what are their purpose
- Keeping amending motions related to the original motion
- Point of Order process and why it’s important
- What’s the appropriate role of the Mayor at the meeting, as a facilitator of group success (we have strong Mayor)
- How is a motion properly withdrawn?
- “Tabling” something as opposed to “postponing to a date certain” and how to kill something completely
- How to change a previously made decision
- Roberts Rules for Small Boards: discussion prior to making a motion is OK, what’s OK under the rules for small boards
- Proper use of consent agenda (staff isn’t trying to hide things)
- Moderating discussion, how we better do that, not allowing one Councilmember or Mayor to dominate
- Why are Roberts Rules important?
Posted in Effective Local Government
