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CITY OF LARAMIE CODE OF CONDUCT AND GUIDELINES FOR FOR CITY COUNCIL Revised February, 2013 ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 2 of 20 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of 2 Introduction: Chapter 1. Roles and Responsibilities………………………………… 4 1.01 Whole 4 1.02 4 1.03 Vice 4 1.04 Liaison/Board Positions/Seating at Rostrum……………. 5 Chapter 2. Internal Council 5 2.01 Robert’s 5 2.02 Addressing One 5 2.03 Recording and Broadcasting meetings..…………………. 6 2.04 Council 6 2.05 Consent 6 2.06 Ordinances, Resolutions and Other Matters……………. 7 2.07 Placing Items on Council’s 7 2.08 Time Length of Regular Meetings……….………………. 7 2.09 Telephonic Attendance at Meetings……… 2.10 Travel Policy and Expenditures….……………………….9 Chapter 3. Council Conduct with 13 3.01 Requests for 13 3.02 Requests for Information…………………………………. 13 Chapter 4. Council Conduct with the 14 4.01 Public 14 4.02 Disruption of Public 14 4.03 Written Communications…………………………………. 14 4.04 Unofficial 14 Appendix A Guidelines for Interviewing and Appointing Board or Commission Members 15 Appendix B Handout on Council Meeting Procedures……………………… 16 Appendix C Handout on Guidelines on Addressing City Council………….. 19 ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 3 of 20 INTRODUCTION This Code of Conduct and Guidelines is designed to describe the manner in which Council members should treat one another, City staff, constituents, and others they come into contact with in representing the City of Laramie. It reflects the work of Council in defining more clearly the behavior, manners and courtesies that are suitable for various occasions. The Council also considered policy changes and clarifications designed to make public meetings and the process of governance run more smoothly. The constant and consistent theme throughout all the conduct guidelines is “respect.” Elected officials are called upon to exhibit appropriate behavior at all times. Demonstrating respect for each individual, including other members of Council, staff and members of the public, through words and actions is the touchstone that can help guide Council members to do the right thing in even the most difficult situations. This Code of Conduct does not specifically address the issue of Conflict of Interest of the individual Council members because the State Statutes found in Title 9, Chapter 13 entitled Public Officials, Members and Employees Ethics deals adequately with that provision and other issues which the Council members are bound. A copy of that Chapter is available to Council members. It shall be incumbent upon each new Council to review this Code of Conduct, and make such amendments as are necessary, then adopt the Code of Conduct by resolution for its term of office. It is requested that each member of Council endorse the adoption resolution, recognizing that such Code shall apply to each during their tenure in office regardless of personal endorsement. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 4 of 20 CHAPTER 1 Roles & Responsibilities 1.01. Whole Council. The Council as a whole is a policy making board and as such, it is not the duty of the Council to administer the day to day operations of the City. Many items will come before Council as required by City Ordinance, but many issues are more discretionary in nature. It is important that the Council and the City staff work together to differentiate between duties which are relevant to the City staff and which are decisions that should come before Council. All Council members, including those serving as Mayor and Vice Mayor, have equal votes. No Council member has more power than any other Council Member, and all should be treated with equal respect. 1.02. Mayor. 1.02 The Mayor is elected by the whole of the City Council at its first meeting in January following a general election in the manner as outlined in Section 2.04.16 of the Laramie Municipal Code. This individual serves as the official head of the City for ceremonial purposes and the liaison to the City Manager. The Mayor also regularly attends the agenda meeting to assist City staff in preparation for an upcoming meeting. Additionally, the Mayor also serves as the administrative head of the Council, addressing a variety of issues that may arise including but not limited to conduct among Council members, communicating with the media, emergencies, and authorizing by signature a number of documents for the City. 1.02(B). Generally, the Mayor should not make decisions other than administrative decisions on behalf of the whole Council, and should instead work to differentiate which matters need comments from the Council and which matters are purely administrative in nature. Matters which concern policy direction should be brought before the Council as a whole. 1.03 Vice Mayor. The Vice Mayor is elected in the same manner as the Mayor and generally handles the motions for changes to the consent and regular agenda, as well as the motion to approve the consent agenda. The Vice Mayor also attends the Council agenda meeting and is responsible for duties generally handled by the Mayor in his or her absence, or at the Mayor’s request. In the absence of the Vice Mayor these duties can be delegated to another Council member, or the City Clerk. 1.04. Liaison/Board Positions/Seating at Rostrum. 1.04(A). The selection of liaison positions by Council members to City Boards and Commissions and the selection of seating of Council members at the rostrum are handled at the first meeting when a new Council is seated. Council shall first, elect the Mayor and the Vice-Mayor and select the seating of Council members at the rostrum prior to the selection of liaison positions by Council members to City Boards and Commissions. 1.04(B) The selection of Council members to liaison position to City Boards and Commissions shall be by rotation of Council members beginning with those Council members with the most years of service as a Council member then reverse the order for the next rotation until all liaison positions to all City Boards and Commissions have been filled. The priority of those members with equal years of service shall be made by a game of chance selected by the Mayor. Council ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 5 of 20 members previously appointed to an ad hoc committee by Resolution may continue to serve on the ad hoc committee. 1.04(C). A Council liaison to a City Board or Commission should serve in an advisory capacity and as a point person to the Council during updates. The liaison should not attempt to influence the votes of City Board and Commission members and should only vote if the liaison is an official voting member. The position of an official voting member shall be identified in the introductory documents provided to the Council member in the orientation material. The seating of Council members at the rostrum shall be by rotation of Council members beginning with those Council members with the most years of service as a Council member. 1.04(D). Guidelines for interviewing and appointing board or commission members as outlined in Appendix A, shall be followed. CHAPTER 2 Internal Council Conduct It should be generally understood that the Council exists to work in the interest of the public. The Council should strive to work as a team in achieving the best outcome for the community. The Council should conduct business in a civil, efficient and cooperative manner with other members of Council and City staff. It is incumbent upon Council members to listen to one another and give full opportunity for all viewpoints to be heard. All disagreements should be handled in a civil fashion. 2.01 Robert’s Rules. The Robert’s Rules of Order generally govern the proceedings of City Council except in those cases in which the Robert’s Rules of Order are inconsistent with City Ordinance. The provisions in City ordinance governing the proceedings of City Council shall be strictly adhered to unless temporarily suspended by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Council members present at the meeting or changed by Ordinance. Binding action happens only in a regular or special meeting by a vote of the majority of Council members present or as otherwise indicated by State Statute or City Ordinance. 2.02. Addressing one another. 2.02(A). During a regular meeting, Council Members shall address one another in a more formal manner as Councilor (last name) or Council Member (last name). Council members should also address all responses through the Chair, for example: “Mr. or Madame Mayor, I disagree with the comment made by previous Council Member or Councilor Smith….” Formality helps to maintain civility during contentious issue. In all instances, Council members shall remember that as representatives of the community it is important to keep discussions civil, whether in or out of chambers. Personal attacks will not be tolerated and may be subject to the Council member being called by another Council member for a breach of order and potential penalty for a breach of order by a majority of Council members such as an apology or a withdrawal of objectionable statement(s) or remark(s) of a Council member. 2.02(B). During a work session, it may be acceptable to address one another by name so long as the chair feels that the meeting is maintaining a civil tone. At the Chair’s discretion, Council may be requested to use the more formal meeting format even when direct votes are not being taken. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 6 of 20 2.03. Recording and Broadcasting Meetings. 2.03(A). All of the regular and special meetings of the City Council are public meetings under the provisions of the Wyoming Statutes. Executive sessions of those meetings may exclude the public from attendance, provided that the statutory mandates are met in announcing the meetings and conformance with the requirements during the meetings have occurred. Minutes of all meetings of the City Council are required to be made and retained by the City Clerk, including those of executive sessions. Minutes of regular and special meetings, excluding the executive sessions, will be made available to the public following approval of the minutes by the Council. Minutes or recordings of executive sessions are released to the public only pursuant to a Court Order requiring such. Each of the Council meetings is to be recorded, and the minutes are created from the recordings. Recordings of executive sessions are sealed by the City Clerk. 2.03(B) In addition to the recordings of the meetings, there is a broadcast of the meetings, and a recording of those broadcasts. The broadcasts are transmitted through the Public Access Channel (Channel 11) over the cable television network that is provided in the City, and beyond. In addition to the live broadcast on the cable channel, the recording is made available to the public through the internet following the meeting. The entire meeting is recorded as hereinafter specified. 2.03(B)(i). Regular and Special Meetings. Regular and special meetings, including emergency meetings, shall be recorded from the opening of the meeting to adjournment. An interruption of the recording may occur during a recess to executive session where further business may be conducted by the Council following the executive session. The broadcast recording will follow the same time frame of recording. 2.03(B)(ii). Emergency Meetings. Audio recording of special meetings shall be made by the City staff unless such is not available due to emergency conditions. In the instance that recording is not available written minutes of the meeting shall be made by the City Clerk, or other available staff members. 2.03(B)(iii). Executive Sessions. Executive sessions of any Council meeting shall be audio recorded by the City Clerk, regardless of whether the Clerk remains for the session or not. The recording shall be sealed by the City Clerk and retained in her records. Such recording shall be unsealed only upon receipt of a valid Court Order requiring the recordings to be unsealed. The order received shall be retained by the City Clerk together with the recording. 2.04 Council Updates. One work session a month shall include time for Council updates, which is an opportunity for Council to report or discuss issues with the whole council that may have arisen from boards or the public. It may also be a time for City staff to update the Council on items the Council might find relevant, or to request direction on pressing issues. 2.05. Consent Agenda. Items on the consent agenda generally are perfunctory in nature, either because Council has given direction previously on the issue or because items are routine. If an item on the consent agenda needs further discussion, it can be moved to the regular agenda at the request of any one Council member without a second of another Council member. 2.06 Ordinances, Resolutions and other matters. Ordinances, Resolutions, and other matters or subjects requiring action by the Council must be introduced by a Council member, except that the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, City Clerk, City Attorney, City Clerk or City ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 7 of 20 Department Directors may present Ordinances, Resolutions, and other matters or subject to the council, and any Council member may assume sponsorship thereof by moving that such Ordinances, Resolutions, matters, or subjects be adopted; otherwise, they shall not be considered. All Ordinances, Resolutions, and other matters or subjects requiring action by the Council shall, before presentation to the Council, have been approved as to form and legality by the City Attorney or designee. Prior to the introduction of an Ordinance, an Ordinance may be presented to the City Council in a work session for comments; however, Council may waive review of the Ordinance in a work session prior to introduction. 2.07. Placing Items on Council’s Agenda. 2.07(A) Generally, the business agenda for each meeting will be generated by the City Manager, with the items being suggested by staff or members of Council. The proposed agenda will be reviewed with the Mayor at the agenda meeting and subsequently submitted to the Council for consideration at each meeting for adoption, with such amendments as may be determined by Council. 2.07(B) A Council member may request an item be considered on a future agenda by making an oral request at a Council meeting. A member of the public may request an item be placed on a future agenda while addressing the Council during a regular meeting and/or by submitting the request in writing to the Council, through the City Clerk’s office. In order to allow sufficient time for Council to review and City staff to research the matter, the request should be submitted at least seven days prior to the meeting for which the item is requested to be placed on the agenda. Once the issue has been placed on the agenda, the City Clerk will notify the requester so that he or she may plan to attend the meeting. 2.07(C) A Council member may suggest an item be presented in a work session to acquire information. Such item shall be scheduled for a work session, provided a second to the proposal is received from another Council member. 2.08. Time Length of Regular Council Meetings. It is the intent of the City Council that no additional agenda item will be introduced at a regular City Council meeting after the hour of 10:30 p.m. unless the City Council members present vote to extend the meeting by suspending the rules with a 2/3 vote of the members present and continue the meeting until 11:00 p.m. If the item introduced at a regular City Council meeting and being discussed by 10:30 p.m. is not concluded by 11:00 p.m., the Council shall adjourn the regular City Council meeting to another date to conclude discussing the agenda item or the next regular city council meeting. City Council shall reserve time at the end of each regular meeting for public comments regardless of the hour. All items remaining on Council’s regular agenda would be moved to the next regular City Council meeting and will be given priority over any additional items on the regular City Council’s agenda. The intent and purpose of this policy is to encourage a reasonable hour in which the City Council business is discussed and to protect against fatigue in discussing and deciding important City issues. 2.09. Telephonic Attendance at Meetings. 2.09 It is recognized that there may be circumstances when a Council member intends to attend a meeting, but is prevented from attending in person and wishes to participate telephonically. In order for that attendance to occur telephonically, there are a number of conditions ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 8 of 20 that must be fulfilled to achieve that attendance. Those conditions include the following, together with such unanticipated circumstances as may arise during the interim. 1. The telephonic attendance must be arranged in advance of the meeting by notifying the City Clerk at least 24 hours in advance to insure that the necessary equipment is available for use. 2. The Council must consent to that attendance as being required to good cause shown. 3. The Council member must provide the contact information to the City Clerk’s office so that contact can be made. 4. The Council person must have equipment available for the contact to effect the communication, both for audio and the ability to receive documents in electronic format. 5. The Council person must have the agenda packet available to read, including any materials that have been presented to the Council on the day of the meeting. 6. The Council member must be able to participate effectively during the entire meeting, or for the entire discussion of the singular item for which attendance is required without interruption. 7. Each Council member shall be limited to not more than five times annually during which telephonic attendance may be utilized. 2.09(B) A Council member may request of the Council that (s)he be permitted to attend a meeting telephonically by submitting the request with an assurance that all of the conditions contained herein will be met, and that sufficient cause exists which necessitates the telephonic attendance by the Council member. The request must address whether the Council member wishes to attend the entire meeting, or just a portion of a meeting, and whether the Council member intends to offer a vote on any, or all of the pending items. 2.09(C) A Council member who attends the entire meeting telephonically shall be paid for that meeting. Attendance at only a portion of the meeting, regardless of whether the Council member participates in one or more votes, does not entitle the member to be paid for the meeting. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 9 of 20 2.10 Travel Policy and Expenditure Guidelines. Council members shall be subject to the following travel policy and shall follow the expenditure guidelines where such are applicable. 2.10 All travel by Council members for which reimbursement is sought from the City must be directly related to City business and, with the following exceptions, must be pre-approved by the Council: 1. Travel to the National League of Cities annual conferences. 2. Travel to the National League of Cities committee meetings when the Council member is an appointed member of the committee. 3. Travel to the Wyoming Association of Municipalities annual meetings and the committee meetings of which the Council member is a member, or other requested WAM activities. 4. Travel to attend the Wyoming legislature, or the committee meetings thereof, to promote the City’s position. 5. Council retreats. 2.10(A)(i) In the event that a Council member does not file for re-election, or is defeated in an election contest, all travel requested by that member after the date of the decision at any of the three points in time, filing of the petition for candidacy, the primary election or the general election, shall be submitted to the Council for approval prior to exercising such travel. 2.10(B) Requests for Pre-Travel Approval. 1. Requests for pre-travel approval shall be made by Council member on the Travel Request form located in the City Clerk’s office. 2. The completed Travel Request form shall be submitted to the City Clerk for inclusion on the consent agenda of the following regular council meeting. 3. The following information must be submitted by the Council member on the Travel Request form: a. Estimated costs of travel, including airline tickets, mileage reimbursement, meals, lodging, taxi service and any associated costs. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 10 of 20 b. The proposed dates of travel, the method of travel and the proposed destination. c. The purpose of the trip. 4. The request will be placed on the consent agenda for concurrence of the majority of the council, if the request is for other than the approved travel of the Council member. 2.10(C) Travel Reports and Reimbursement Procedure. 1. Travel arrangements for Council members shall be coordinated through the City Clerk, who may make arrangements of the following for Council members using the City issued credit card at the request of the Council member: a. Airline tickets. b. Registration. c. Lodging reservations. 2. Following the approved travel, each Council member shall follow the procedure set forth below to complete the travel procedure. a. Submit a completed travel and reimbursement form to the City Clerk, together with the receipts for items that have been paid with the City credit card, such as: i. Airline tickets. ii. Lodging. iii. Rental vehicles. iv. Taxi or bus fare. v. Parking fees. vi. Baggage fees. vii. Registration, training and attendance costs. b. Sign the completed travel form certifying attendance at the scheduled event, incurring the expenses on behalf of the City and conforming to the provisions of this policy to the best of the knowledge of the Council member. 3. Each Council member shall follow the procedure set forth below to obtain reimbursement for the incurred expenses which have been paid by the Council member not using the City credit card: a. Submit a completed Reimbursement Request form to the City Clerk, including the receipts for such items as: i. Meals. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 11 of 20 ii. Private vehicle mileage. iii. Other expenses incurred on behalf of the City business. b. Sign the completed Reimbursement Request form certifying that such expenses were incurred on behalf of the City and such are conforming to the provisions of this policy to the best of the knowledge of the Council member. c. Submit the completed form to the City Clerk, who will process the request with the Finance Department. 2.10(D) City Issued Credit Card Procedures. 1. Each Council member may, at the option of the Council person, be issued a City owned credit card for use by that Council member while engaged in the furtherance of City business, but not otherwise. 2. The City issued credit card may be used for the following expenses incurred by that Council member, but not otherwise: a. Airline tickets and baggage fees. b. Lodging at the lowest rate available to the Council member, but excluding any and all upgrades in accommodations or service. c. Rental vehicles at the lowest rate available, but excluding any and all upgrades in vehicle or service. d. Parking fees. e. Fuel for City owned vehicles operated by the Council member. f. Registration, training and attendance fees. 3. The following uses of the City issued credit card are prohibited: a. Meals. b. Alcoholic beverages. c. Upgrades in lodging accommodations or services or rental vehicles. d. Personal expenses. 2.10(E) Meal and incidental Reimbursement. For any event, each Council member may choose either of two methods of reimbursement for the meals and incidentals authorized during travel on City business, with the below described procedures applicable. 1. Per Diem Reimbursement. a. Meals will be reimbursed at the rate approved by the City Manager for City employees, within the Federal travel regulation guidelines. b. Partial days of travel are addressed within that policy. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 12 of 20 c. No receipts for meals are used in calculating the meal expense allowance under the Per Diem method, with the exception of meals consumed during a single day travel, when receipts must be submitted to the City Clerk. 2. Actual expense reimbursement. a. The Council member must submit the receipts for the meals actually eaten, excluding any and all charges for alcoholic beverages. b. Tips, not to exceed 20%,s actually given are to be included and reimbursed. 3. No meals will be charged on the City issued credit card. 2.10(F) Lodging Expenses and Procedures. 1. Lodging will be paid by City, either directly or as reimbursement, in either of the following cases: a. The Federal per diem hotel guideline for the location actually used by the Council member, without regard to the actual cost of the lodging. b. The lowest rate available to the Council member, with an attempt to secure the lowest government rated available for the actual lodging utilized by the Council member, excluding any and all upgrades which have additional expense for the accommodations or the service. 2. Other lodging policies: a. A Council member may have his/her spouse also stay in the room if there is no additional expense to the City, or if any additional expense is paid by the Council member and not paid on the City issued credit card. b. Lodging may be paid by the Council member and the amount attributed to City business reimbursed by the City. c. All receipts for lodging must be submitted to the City, regardless of the payment method. d. Only lodging that is actually used by the Council member may be paid on the City issued credit card, or reimbursed to the Council member. e. Council members shall review the receipts for travel to insure that additional charges have not been entered on the account to be charged to the City. f. Council members shall make every reasonable attempt to arrange for travel and lodging at times which allow the Council member to take ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 13 of 20 advantage of the special lower rates for travel, lodging and registration, where available. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 14 of 20 CHAPTER 3 Council Conduct With City Staff 3.01. Requests for Projects. Direction is given to the City staff to pursue items that generally impact the policy of the City by determining that there is little or no opposition during a work session , or through a direct binding majority vote of the body at a special or regular meeting. Once direction is given to the City Manager in one of these ways, that individual shall determine who shall carry out the duty, or advise the Council if the City needs additional City staffing to carry out the task. City staff, including the direct employees of the Council (which are the Manager, Attorneys, and Judge),is under no obligation to pursue items for only one Council person. If a Council person wishes to ask the City staff to work on an issue, they must have either received the consent of the Council by determining that there is little or no opposition during a meeting or have a second on a motion to introduce legislation. 3.02. Requests for information on Non-agenda Items. City staff is hired to carry out the day to day business of operating the City. Council should keep this in mind when requesting information or asking to perform these functions. Generally, all interactions should flow through the City Manager. If a Council member is asking for information from City staff that will require more than thirty (30) minutes of City staff time to collect or research a problem or prepare a response, the request will need to be approved by City Council to ensure that City staff resources are allocated in accordance with overall Council priorities. When the staff is requested to provide information, a response to the written request shall be made by staff in not more than five business days. It is not appropriate for Council members to admonish City staff when disagreeing with the information they brought forth. These issues should be taken up with the City Manager, and if there is deemed to be an issue that needs to be addressed by the whole Council, it will be brought forth. In any event, there shall be no personal attacks on City staff. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 15 of 20 CHAPTER 4 Council Conduct with the Public 4.01. Public Meetings. Making the public feel welcome is an important part of the democratic process. Handouts for the public on Council meeting procedures and guidelines for addressing City Council as outlined in Appendix B and C, shall be followed. Recognizing that the actions of each Council member impact the public perception of the whole Council, Council members shall strive to treat the public with respect. Before the public comments period on non- agenda items, which shall be conducted at the beginning of each work session held on the second (2nd) and fourth (4th) Tuesdays of each month, the Chair shall inform those wishing to speak that there is a five minute limit on comments regarding any item not on the agenda, and that the speakers shall address their comments to the Chair. Public comments shall be recorded as a portion of the work session. Care should be taken not to enter into a debate of the issues with members of the public, but if items need to be addressed, direction can be given to the City Manager to do so. In any event there shall be no personal attacks on the public. 4.02. Disruption of Public Meetings. Any member of the public will be allowed to appear and speak before the City Council, unless he or she disrupts or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of any Council meeting, hearing, or other proceeding of the Council such as using threatening or obscene language, personal defamatory statements, indecent or threatening behavior, or violent actions. If, after receiving a warning from the Mayor or the presiding officer, a person persists in such conduct or otherwise disrupting the meeting, the Mayor or the presiding officer, pursuant to the Robert’s Rules of Order, may expel and direct him or her to leave the meeting. Any council member may appeal the order of the Mayor or the presiding officer and upon a majority vote of the Council such order of the Mayor or the presiding officer may be set aside. Such vote is undebatable. Such person may be readmitted at a future meeting as long as there are not further disturbances or disruptions by such person at that public meeting. Nothing herein shall limit or restrain negative, positive or neutral comment about the manner in which an individual employee, officer, official or Council member carries out his or her duties in public office or employment. To observe the order and decorum of City Council meetings, the volume on all electronic devices including but not limited to cellular telephones, pagers or computers should be turned off or set to vibrate. 4.03. Written Communications. Interested parties, or their authorized representatives, may address the Council by written communication with regard to any matter concerning city business or over which the Council has control, or by addressing the City Clerk, who shall distribute the written communication to Council members. 4.04. Unofficial Settings. It is also appropriate that Council members recognize that as elected officials their conversations when out in public will be overheard. Members of the Council should take care to be aware of what they say in public, differentiating between personal opinion and the opinion of Council as a whole, whether in private or public conversations. These guidelines shall be modified and adopted by a majority of Council as needed. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 16 of 20 APPENDIX A BOARDS AND COMMISSION PROCEDURES FOR VACANCIES 1. City staff liaisons to a particular City Boards or Commissions should notify the Executive Assistant (EA) in the City Manager’s Office when positions on boards and commissions become vacant. 2. Vacant positions of City Boards or Commissions should be advertised by EA for one month unless otherwise specified by Council as follows: Website; Channel 11; Boomerang; and Posted at City Hall. Other available electronic notification forms. 3. EA will notify standing members of City Boards or Commissions regarding expiration date of their term at least one month in advance of the expiration of their appointment and inform them of the period during which they may reapply for their position. 4. Applications should be made available to interested applicants from the EA or may be downloaded from the City’s website and should be submitted to the EA. 5. EA will refer the names of the applicants to the City Clerk to be placed on City Council’s executive session agenda. 6. A minimum of three members of Council will interview applicants for the Planning Commission or the Parks, Recreation and Tree Commission and two members of Council will interview applicants or incumbents for the remaining boards and commissions, who will make recommendations to the full council at the next regular meeting. Incumbents who are reapplying to a City Board or Commission will not be interviewed unless there are additional applicants for such City Board or Commission. In such case, all applicants and the incumbent will be interviewed. The entire Council will then vote at the regular meeting to select members for City Boards or Commissions from the list of applicants who have been interviewed. 7. Following appointment by the Council, a list of appointees will be forwarded to the EA who will contact new appointees notifying them of their appointment, meeting times and dates, and contact information for the board’s/commission’s staff liaison. 8. Positions of leadership on a given City Board or Commission will be decided within the City Board or Commission, unless otherwise specified by the City Council. 9. During the formation of a City Board or Commission, Council should give that body a written set of expectations goals based on requirements as outlined in the City Code. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 17 of 20 APPENDIX B CITY OF LARAMIE, WYOMING COUNCIL MEETING PROCEDURES WELCOME TO A MEETING OF THE LARAMIE CITY COUNCIL: The City Council welcomes you to this meeting and invites you to participate in matters before the Council. When meeting in the Council Chamber, members of the Council are seated at the rostrum and each has a nameplate for recognition. City staff members are seated on each side of the Council. The Council meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber and usually holds public hearings or work sessions on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m., as well as other meeting dates when required. AGENDA FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS: Agendas are available just prior to or during the meeting and are placed near the door to the Council Chamber. Copies may be mailed on Thursday prior to a Tuesday meeting (or similar time schedule for meetings on other days of the week) to an individual or may be picked up in the City Clerk's office without charge or downloaded from the City’s website at www.ci.laramie.wy.us. COPIES OF AGENDA ITEMS: Agenda items are available for public inspection at each meeting or in the City Clerk's Office prior to a meeting may be downloaded from the City’s website at www.ci.laramie.wy.us. Any writings distributed during a public meeting will also be available for public inspection at the meeting if prepared by the City or a Council member, or after the meeting if prepared by someone else. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: The Council welcomes suggestions and comments which help meet the needs of the City and improve its operation, and also welcome questions which may clarify its responsibilities or its decisions. Set forth below are procedures for addressing the Council. You may stand or raise your hand until recognized by the Mayor or the presiding officer. Please step up to the lectern and microphone when addressing the Council. IDENTITY OF SPEAKERS: The Mayor or the presiding officer will ask each speaker to state his/her name and whether the speaker resides in the City before speaking, and prior to speaking to voluntarily write his/her name and address on a sign-up sheet at the City Clerk's table so they are correctly recorded in the minutes. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS: Special presentations which include slides, films, etc., will be scheduled prior to the beginning of a Council meeting. Arrangements must be made in advance with the City Clerk at least one week prior to a meeting in order that the presentation may be noted on the agenda and advance notice provided to members of the Council, news media and other interested persons. Special presentations during the course of a meeting will only be allowed with the prior approval of the Council. WRITTEN MATERIAL: Any person providing written material at a meeting shall provide a copy to the City Clerk for the record at the same time such material is provided to the Council. If any person intends to appear before the Council and provide it with written material, it should be delivered to the City Clerk's office six days in advance of the meeting (sooner if there are holidays prior to the ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 18 of 20 meeting) in order that copies may be included with the agenda and to give the Council an opportunity to review the material in advance of the appearance. If written material is provided to the Council at the meeting, it may affect the Council's consideration of the matter. Therefore, the Council will determine whether or not to continue the matter to a later date in order that it will have time to consider the written material. DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION: City Council meetings are open to the public. Requests for accommodations from persons with disabilities must be made to the City Manager’s Office at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of a meeting. The City Manager’s Office may be reached at 721- 5226. Anyone who has difficulty hearing the proceedings of a meeting may be provided with a portable listening device by requesting one from the City Clerk. The device works directly from the public address system, and the listener can hear all speakers who are using a microphone. Anyone who is hearing impaired and requires the services of an interpreter to observe or participate in a meeting should contact the City Clerk's office within seven days prior to the date of the meeting. MICROPHONES: City Council meetings are videotaped and/or televised when held in the Council Chamber. In order for the audience to receive a clear audio signal, it is essential that members of the audience are requested to step to the lectern microphone when addressing the Council. TIME LIMIT: Each member of the audience speaking to the Council is encouraged to limit their presentation to no more than five minutes, unless the time is waived by the Council on any specific item. A speaker may not defer his/her time to other speakers. Groups or organizations are encouraged to select a spokesperson to speak on their behalf. Speakers are also encouraged to not repeat comments made by prior speakers, but rather to only indicate their agreement with the comments. ELECTRONIC DEVICES: To observe the order and decorum of City Council meetings, the volume on all electronic devices including but not limited to cellular telephones, pagers or computers should be turned off or set to vibrate. RECONSIDERATION OF AN AGENDA ITEM: The Council will not rehear or reconsider an ordinance or resolution that has been adopted or denied unless a majority of the Council votes to reconsider the matter pursuant to Laramie Municipal Code 2.04.210. CONSENT AGENDA: All items listed under the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine and may be enacted by one motion. Resolutions and Ordinances will be read by title only. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless members of the Council request specific items to be removed from the Consent Agenda to the Regular Agenda for separate discussion prior to the time the Council votes on the motion to adopt the Consent Agenda. If any item(s) are removed from the Consent Agenda, the item(s) will be considered at an appropriate place on the Regular Agenda. HEARINGS: Any member of the audience may speak on items scheduled for hearing at the time the Mayor declares the hearing open to the audience. Council members will disclose any communications with any individual or party in which they were involved prior to any hearing that is quasi-judicial in nature. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 19 of 20 REGULAR AGENDA: All items listed under the Regular Agenda are in the order which require Council action at this meeting. The items will be considered in the order set during the meeting. Any person may speak on items listed on the Regular Agenda if recognized by the Mayor. PUBLIC COMMENTS: A member of the general public may address the Council on any matter not appearing on the agenda which is of interest to such person and which is within the jurisdiction of the Council at the beginning of each work session held on second (2nd) or fourth (4th) Tuesday of each month and at the end of each regular meeting held on first and third Tuesdays of the month. When a member of the general public seeks to address the Council during public comments, the Council may briefly respond to statements made or questions posed. However, Council members should not engage in inter-Council discussions. On its own initiative or in response to questions posed by such person, Council members may ask questions for clarification, provide a reference to staff or other resources for factual information, or request staff to report back at a subsequent meeting. REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS: Staff reports and communication items are being provided to the Council primarily for information. Accordingly, these matters will not be discussed unless a member of the Council or general public requests such discussion. However, no action shall be taken on these matters unless the matter is included as an action item at a subsequent meeting and included on the posted agenda as such. EXECUTIVE SESSION: A description of the items, if any, to be discussed in executive session will be listed on the agenda. ITEMS NOT ON THE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA: The City Council offers the public an opportunity to bring topics and issues to Council’s attention. It is called the “Public Comments”. At each regular City Council work session held on the second (2nd) and fourth (4th) Tuesdays of each month the Council reserves time at the beginning of the session and at the end of each regular meeting held on first and third Tuesdays of the month for public concerns. The time limit for each speaker is five minutes, depending on the number of speakers who sign up for the Public Comments. TIME LIMIT OF MEETINGS: No additional agenda item will be introduced at a regular City Council meeting after the hour of 10:30 p.m. unless the majority of the City Council members present vote to extend the meeting. If the item introduced at a regular City Council meeting and being discussed by 10:30 p.m. is not concluded by 11:00 p.m., the Council may adjourn the regular City Council meeting to another date to conclude discussing the agenda item or the next regular City Council meeting. All items remaining on Council’s regular agenda would be moved to the next regular City Council meeting and will be given priority over any additional items on the regular City Council’s agenda. MINUTES: Official minutes of Council meetings are prepared and kept by the City Clerk and are reviewed and approved by the City Council (usually at the next regular meeting). Copies of approved minutes are available at the City Clerk's office or on the City’s website at www.ci.laramie.wy.us. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 20 of 20 APPENDIX C GUIDELINES FOR ADDRESSING THE COUNCIL: 1. Persons attending a City Council meeting may address the Council during time specified for a specific item on the agenda. 2. Presentations concerning agenda items will be heard only upon approval by the Mayor or the presiding officer. 3. An individual wishing to address the Council should approach the lectern; wait to be acknowledged by the Mayor or the presiding officer to speak, and clearly state his/her name and whether the speaker resides in the City before making general remarks. 4. All remarks should be directed to the Mayor or the presiding officer. The Mayor or the presiding officer may wish to refer any questions to the proper Council member or to City staff. Persons addressing City Council should avoid using threatening or obscene language or making personal defamatory statements, or engage in any disorderly conduct which would impede, disrupt or disturb the orderly conduct of any meeting, hearing or other proceeding. 5. Large groups are encouraged to express their views through a single spokesperson rather than individually. Individuals should observe the five minute time limit when speaking, unless such is waived by the Mayor. 6. Comment cards may be used for items when extensive public participation is anticipated. Individuals who wish to give comments should submit a completed card to the City Clerk. The Mayor or the presiding officer will call the person forward when it is his/her turn to speak. If a person does not want to speak, a written statement can be submitted on a comment card. 7. To maintain order, applause or other unnecessary disturbances are discouraged. 8. Petitions should be presented to the City Clerk. 9. Members of the audience are encouraged to speak before the Council but they cannot make motions or otherwise participate in the meeting