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c. To the extent possible, the debate shall alternate between proponents and opponents of the measure. d. Everyone who wishes to speak on the issue must be permitted to speak once, before council members who have already spoken are permitted to speak again. Council members shall avoid repeating points already made in the debate or other duplicative conduct that may delay the proceedings. Where a point has already been made, council members may affirm agreement or disagreement. f. Generally, only one motion may be considered at a time in debate. Debate may only be interrupted by a motion to amend the original motion, a motion to take a brief recess, a motion to withdraw the motion by the motion's maker, a motion to divide a complex question, a motion to defer consideration to a later date, a motion to refer an issue to committee, motion for the previous question, a motion to limit debate, or a motion for a call to order. When debate is interrupted by any of these motions, the interrupting motion shall be resolved prior to resuming debate. Rule 6. Definitions of motions that may interrupt debate (secondary motions). As explained in Rule 5, only certain motions may interrupt debate on a motion. These are called secondary motions. When a secondary motion is made, the presiding officer must follow the same procedures in Rule 3 to consider the secondary motion. A secondary motion must be resolved, either by being ruled out of order by the presiding officer or debated and voted upon by the council, before debate on the main motion can resume. Secondary motions may also be made outside of debate, where appropriate. For example, a motion to take a brief recess can be made before, during, or after a debate. a. Motion to amend the original motion. The maker of the motion does not need to consent to a motion to amend. However, he or she may vote against the amendment or withdraw their motion via a motion to withdraw prior to any amendment being approved. Only two amendments may be made to an original motion to avoid confusion. The amendments should be voted on in reverse order, with the last amendment being voted upon first. To avoid confusion, complex language should be put in writing. A motion may not be amended so substantially as to essentially reject the original motion, though different language may be proposed so as to entirely substitute for the original language. The appropriate language for making a motion to amend shall be substantially similar to "I move to amend the motion by inserting between .... and ...... or "I move to amend the motion by adding after ... " or "I move to amend the motion by striking out. . . " or "I move to amend the motion by striking out ... and inserting ... " or `I move to amend by striking out the motion ... and substituting the following. " Minnesota Mayors 59 Association