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CITY AND TOWN COUNCIL RULES OF PROCEDURE
AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEETINGS Procedural
Rules Each Arkansas city is
unique. Your city and the residents you represent are no exception. The
city council rules of procedure should be agreed to and officially adopted
by the majority of city council members. Rules of procedure are guides to
the generally accepted way that things get done. Topics that are usually
covered in procedural rules include:
- Meetings: the usual date, time and
place for regularly scheduled meetings; and setting the procedure for
calling a special meeting by ordinance.
- Order of Business: the usual format
to be followed, including who's responsible for preparing the agenda
according to that format, and special provisions for agenda items such
as developing a con-sent agenda.
- General Meeting Procedures: time
limits for debate, if any, and who may speak at what point.
- Public Hearings: procedure and time
limits.
- New Business: a process for allowing
new items to be added to the agenda.
- Exceptions: specific provisions for
when and how the rules can be suspended.
- Parliamentary Process: rules of
debate governing motions, the order of issues to be discussed, and other
elements that control discussion at meetings. The Procedural Rules for
Municipal Officials booklet is commonly used by many Arkansas cities.
Copies of Procedural Rules are available by calling the Arkansas
Municipal League at 501-374-3484. You may order online at
www.arml.org.
Rules of procedure and public debate
are to facilitate the transaction of public business in an orderly way. At
first it may not seem orderly to you. It is not unusual for newly elected
council members to take up to six (6) months before they feel comfortable
with the procedures. Don't be intimidated into not asking questions if you
are not sure about the consequences of your vote. For example, you may
want to ask, "If I vote 'no' on the amendment, what happens to the main
motion?" That is not an unreasonable request for information.
Different Types of Meetings Newly elected officials should quickly learn
that there are five (5) kinds of meetings.
- Regular Council Meetings: These
meetings handle general and routine business, and it is during these
meetings that ordinances are enacted.
- Special Meetings: Business that
cannot be postponed, or issues that affect a limited number of
citi-zens, are dealt with at a specially scheduled meeting. These
meetings usually have a more limited agenda than regular meetings but,
like regular meetings, they are open to the public. It is important
that the time and place of meetings of this sort are announced to the
media and to the general pub-lic. Media that have requested notice
must be given at least two hours advance notification [Hdbk.
25-19-106(b)].
- Public Hearings: Hearings are a
forum for residents to express opinions and for council members to
explain their positions to the public. Hearings are most effective
when they target only one item per hearing, for example, budget or
zoning, not budget and zoning.
- Executive Session: These closed
meetings are permitted only for the purpose of considering employ-ment,
appointment, promotion, demotion, disciplinary action or resignation
of any public officer or employee. This may not include general
discussion about making policies related to these sub-jects. This must
be done in open session (Hdbk. 25-19-106). (Additional information on
the Freedom of Information Act is discussed in Chapter VI.)
Work Session: An informal meeting, generally called for the purpose of
conducting an in-depth study on a limited number of topics. Work session
meetings encourage exploration of subjects in more detail than is possible
in regular meetings because of the time constraints and the pressure of
other business that occur in regular council session. These sessions must
be open to the public.
Each of these meetings that have been discussed should be looked on as a
way to achieve certain goals. An incorrect choice of meeting type can
disrupt your city government from effectively doing its job.
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Clintons
Classification Information
The Duties of
Mayor
The Duties of
Aldermen/Council Members
The Duties of
Recorder/Treasurer
City and Town
Council Rules of Procedure and Different Types of Meetings
Proper Ways to
Pass Ordinances and Resolutions
Personnel
Budgeting and
Finances
The Freedom of
Information Act
Complete Guidebook for Municipal
Officials, Handbook for Arkansas Municipal Officials, Procedural Rules for
Municipal Officials and the Handbook for Arkansas Municipal Clerks,
Recorders and Treasures are available in the City Clerk's office for you
convenience.
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