TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Councilor Brad Nanke, Ward 3
SUBJECT:
title
Motion from Councilor Brad Nanke to amend Council Rule 21(a) to allow a councilor-nominee or councilor-elect to serve as a guest councilor at regular and special council meetings multiple times.
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
end
MOTION:
I move that City Council amend Council Rule 21(a) to permit a councilor-nominee or councilor-elect to serve as a guest councilor at regular and special council meetings multiple times.
DISCUSSION:
There are times when it would be advantageous for an incoming councilor to attend more than one meeting per year, particularly when Council is discussing policy issues that will have an effect over the course of the incoming councilor’s term. In addition, guest councilors are limited to “regular” council meetings, not special meetings like work sessions. The current process to allow this would require council to waive the rule at the beginning of a meeting where the guest councilor would serve more than once, creating a delay at the beginning of the meeting to deal with the procedural item. This motion would allow a guest councilor, who is a councilor-nominee or councilor-elect, to participate without the procedural step.
Council Rule 21 allows a member of council to designate a person as “Guest Councilor” to fill the seat of the councilor at a regular meeting in the event of his or her absence. A person designated as guest councilor must be an elector and a resident of the ward of the councilor whose seat is being filled. An individual can only serve as guest councilor once per year.
Guest councilors may not make or second any motion nor vote on any matter coming before council, nor may a guest councilor attend executive sessions.
Council Rule 24(b) provides that amendments to Council Rules requires a two-thirds majority vote of council and must first be introduced at council meeting at least ten days prior to council voting on the amendment. This motion was originally introduced at the October 12, 2020 Council meeting, where Council voted to suspend Rule 21 through December 31, 2020.
Attached is the proposed amendment to Rule 21 prepared by the City Attorney in response to this motion. (Attachment 1)
body
Attachments:
1. Draft amendment to Rule 21 prepared by the City Attorney