City Council meetings are open to all
members of the public. The meetings are regularly scheduled
for the first and third Wednesday of each month beginning
at 7:00 p.m. The meetings are held in the City Council
Chambers located at City Hall (10500 Civic Center Dr.)
Which items and policy issues to be
discussed at a City Council meeting are determined ahead
of time and are published on the agenda. The agenda
for the City Council meeting is a list of every item
that will be discussed or voted on by the City Council.
The agenda for each City Council meeting must be prepared
in advance and posted in public place at least three
days before the City Council meeting. This gives the
public the opportunity to review the matters before
the City Council. Agendas
are also available at the City Council meeting.
The Mayor presides over the City Council
meetings. At most meetings, the City Council will meet
as the Fire District Board of Directors and as the Redevelopment
Agency first. The agendas for the Fire Board and Redevelopment
Agency are prepared in the same manner and follow the
same guidelines as the agenda for the City Council.
The City Council meeting follows the agenda that is
organized into sections and each section is taken in
order. Following are the sections of the City Council
agenda.
-
Call to Order
– The Mayor calls the meeting to order with
a roll call and with the Pledge of Allegiance.
-
Announcements/Presentations
- Announcements of upcoming events are made and
special recognition is given to community members,
groups or organizations.
-
Communications from the
Public - Anyone wanting to address the
City Council on matters not listed on the agenda
may do so. If appropriate, the City Council may
set the matter brought before them on the agenda
of a subsequent meeting for discussion. State law
prohibits the City Council from addressing any issue
that was not previously listed on the agenda. Comments
under this section are limited to five minutes per
person.
-
Consent Calendar
– Items on the Consent calendar are normally
expected to be routine and non-contoversial and
are acted upon without discussion of each individual
item. Unless an item is removed by a Councilmember
or a member of the audience, all of the items on
the Consent Calendar will be approved by one motion
and vote.
-
Consent Ordinances
– The Ordinances listed in this section have
already had their first reading at a previous City
Council meeting. These second readings are expected
to be routine and non-controversial. The City Clerk
reads the titles of all the ordinances listed in
this section. Any item may be removed for discussion.
Unless an item is removed for discussion, the City
Council will act on all of the ordinances listed
at one time with one vote.
-
Advertised Public Hearings
– these items have been advertised and/or
posted as public hearings as required by law. The
Mayor will open the public hearing and allow interested
persons to present their views and testimony on
the particular item. Once all public testimony has
been received, the Mayor will close the Public Hearing
and the City Council will discuss the matter and
then will vote. Items under this section are taken
one at a time.
-
Public Hearings
– Items listed under this section have no
legal publication or posting requirements. The Mayor
will open the public hearing and allow interested
persons to present their views and testimony on
the particular item. Once all public testimony has
been received, the Mayor will close the Public Hearing
and the City Council will discuss the matter and
then will vote. Items under this section are taken
one at a time.
-
City Manager's Staff
Reports – Items in this section are
on matters that City Staff wants to bring to the
City Councils attention for discussion, information
or policy direction. These matters are not required
to be advertised nor are public hearings required.
Though not required to do so, the Mayor normally
will open the meeting to receive public input on
these items.
-
Council Business
– Items in this section have been requested
at a previous meeting by a member of the City Council
for discussion. These matters are not required to
be advertised nor are public hearings required.
Though not required to do so, the Mayor normally
will open the meeting to receive public input on
these items.
-
Identification of Items
for Next Meeting – At this time a
Councilmember may identify any items they wish the
full City Council to discuss at a future meeting.
-
Communications from the
Public – This is the second opportunity
for the public to address the City Council on matters
not listed on the agenda. If appropriate, the City
Council may set the matter brought before them on
the agenda of a subsequent meeting for discussion.
State law prohibits the City Council from addressing
any issue that was not previously listed on the
agenda. Comments under this section are limited
to five minutes per person. This is also the section
where items requested by the public at past a meeting
for City Council discussion appear.
-
Adjournment
– The Mayor adjourns the meeting until the
next meeting.
Once an item has been approved by the
City Council, it is up to the City Manager and the staff
of the various City departments to carry out the decision
or enact the new ordinance.
