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Establishing rules of decorum before a controversy arises can prevent meetings from becoming unproductive due to conflict. On occasion, members of the council may not follow the rules. On these occasions, the mayor's role as the meeting's presiding officer is particularly important. See Appendix E at the end of this memo for some helpful tips if/when certain situations arise during council meetings. See Appendix A: Minnesota Bylaws may vary from city to city. Generally, when council members violate Mayors Association City Council Bylaws. rules of order and decorum, the presiding officer is authorized to: • Not recognize a breaching council member's request to speak, limiting the member's role in debate until decorum is observed. • Declare the council member's actions out of order. • Order removal from the council chambers by law enforcement until the council member agrees to abide by council rules of decorum. In addition, if provided in the council's policy, generally any council member (including the mayor), may make a motion to censure a council member for conduct that breaches decorum. A censure often takes the form of a resolution adopted by council vote noting the council member's conduct and expressing disapproval of such conduct. IV. Citizen input and audience participation in council meetings Audience members do not have a statutory right to take an active part in the council's discussion at a meeting. Only the council can make motions and vote at a council meeting. Audience members may not speak unless they have been recognized by the presiding officer. A. Forums for public comment See Appendix A: Minnesota While cities do not have to allow the public to speak at a meeting, many city Mayors Association City Council Bylaws and councils schedule a portion of each council meeting for public comment. These Appendix C, Summary Rules are often referred to as "open forums." During this part of the meeting, the for Public Comment. presiding officer will recognize members of the audience to speak briefly on See Section IV-C. topics that concern them. These forums are different from formal public hearings required by law on specific issues. It is best practice to have a policy in place related to city responses to citizen input at meetings. Often it is helpful to have a policy to not respond immediately or to take direct action in response to citizen requests. Instead, the city should adopt a policy referring most citizen comments or requests to city staff for further research and a written report back to council. Minnesota Mayors Chapter 1-19 Association