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a i I & M "TAN MOM T 0.- Roseville City Council FROM.- Bill Malinen,, City Manager DATE February 14, 2011 RE.- Council Rule 4 9 — Suspension of Rules At your January 3 meeting, the question was raised about the rationale for a 4/5 supermajority vote for the suspension of the Council rules. In researching this topic, I have relied upon information related to parliamentary procedure, as the specific rule refers to the Council adopted Rosenburg's Rules of Order, and prior to the adoption of Rosenburg's Rules, the rule referenced Robert's Rules of Order. I have used a Public Management magazine article by Daniel Fitzpatrick as a foundation to addressing the question. Development of Parliamentary Procedure Parliamentary procedure has its basic roots tracing back over two thousand years to the Greeks and Romans. The concept of parliamentary law, procedure and democratic processes became more refined with the British Parliament as early as the 13th century. They developed principles such as considering only one subject at a time,, alternating between pro and con during debate, and confining debate to the merits of pending questions. The word parliamentary is a derivative of the French word parlor to speak, discuss, or deliberate. The basis of parliamentary law is to provide a guide for how to avoid the confusion and chaos that results when members of a group do as they please. The goals are to protect both minority members by allowing debate on all issues and absent members by providing proper notice of fundamental changes, all while assuring the full expression of the will of the majority. The foundation of democracy and self-government calls for the minority, no matter how certain they are of their position,, to consent to the rule of the majority. Parliamentary Procedure The theory and goals of parliamentary laws result in the underlying principles of parliamentary procedure. These 10 rules are common to all of the parliamentary procedure authorities. L The organization is paramount compared with the individual. The purpose of all parliamentary rules is to protect the organization. The process trumps the results. In parliamentary law, the end can never justify the means; in fact,, the means are paramount. 2. All members are equal. There is a tendency of group dynamics that can lead to unfair treatment of certain participants. Parliamentary procedure, properly applied, assures equal treatment to all participants. 3. A quorum must be present to conduct business legally. This requirement prevents the agenda from being "hijacked" by a minority. 4. Only one main proposal may be considered at a time. Imagine the confusion if you debated or voted on more than one issue at a time. One main motion,, with the appropriate