2012-025 - City Council Rules and Procedures to Change the Start Time for the City Council Meeting Open Session

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Section 3. Agenda. The Clerk of the Council shall prepare an agenda for each regular and special meeting of the city council containing all items known by such officer to be considered. The order of placing items on the agenda shall be approved from time to time by the city council. The agenda shall contain such information as required by the Brown Act. Section 4. Rules of Procedure. Procedures before the city council shall be governed by the most current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised. Application of such procedures shall be vested in the sound discretion of the presiding officer. Section 5. Decorum; Time limits and other regulations for speaking. (a) The city council shall preserve decorum and an orderly procedure during debate. Councilmembers desiring to speak shall seek recognition from the presiding officer. Upon being recognized, a councilmember shall confine his or her comments to the questions under debate. A councilmember, once recognized, should not be interrupted unless a point of order is raised by another member. The presiding officer should not recognize a councilmember to speak who has already spoken on a matter under debate until all other councilmembers who wish to be heard have spoken. A councilmember should limit himself or herself to three (3) minutes at any one time without permission of the presiding officer. At the end of each meeting, the presiding officer shall recognize each councilmember who may speak up to three (3) minutes on matters of public or community interest. (b) The agenda for all regular meetings of the city council shall provide members of the public the opportunity to address the city council on agendized matters and non-agendized matters as required by the Brown Act. All requests to speak shall be submitted in writing and submitted to the clerk of the council. No such requests shall be accepted after the public comment session begins without permission of the presiding officer. The agendas for adjourned, special and emergency meetings of the city council shall provide for public comment as provided in the Brown Act. (c) Subject to (d) below, members of the public shall be given a total of three (3) minutes to: (i) address the city council on any and all matters contained on the city council agenda as well as the agendas of any of the City's related entities, such as the community redevelopment agency or the housing authority, if those entities have meetings scheduled at the same time, and/or (ii) address any matters of public interest provided that they are within the jurisdiction or official business of the City of Santa Ana. (d) For public hearings, members of the public shall be given three (3) minutes to address the city council for each duly noticed hearing, unless continued prior to taking testimony. This time limitation shall not apply to the applicant/appellant and/or Resolution No. 2012-025 Page 2 of 4