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Local Rules In Minnesota,, a statutory city council has the power to regulate its own procedures. Home rule charter cities may have similar provisions in their charters. Councils often regulate their procedures through the formal adoption of bylaws. Councils are not required to adopt bylaws for meeting management, but they are highly recommended for the following reasons.- • Rules set common values and expectations for interactions among councilmembers. • Rules can provide structure to a meeting, promoting timeliness and efficiency. • Rules can help resolve conflicts in a positive way that promotes the best interests of the city, rather than allowing conflicts to grow,, potentially disrupting city operations and slowing vital council decisions • Procedural rules are usually provided for in the rules or bylaws adopted by the council. Adoption of council rules may be supplemented by the use of a standard work on parliamentary procedure, such as Robert's Rules of Order. It has been recommended that whatever rules the council adopts, it should follow them. Although the council can vote to change or suspend its rules if the occasion calls for it, it is probably better to stick with the adopted rules except on rare occasions. Suspension of Rules Issue As noted earlier,, one of the basic purposes of parliamentary rules and Council bylaws is to provide order and structure to meetings to ensure that the Council business gets done. Another important purpose is to protect minority members by allowing debate on all issues. While it has only been used locally to extend a meeting beyond the adjournment time set in the Council rules, upon the suspension of rules there is no longer the structure or protection. A simple majority can push through an action item without notice or debate. It appears that is why the suspension action requires the 2/3 vote — to make it more difficult to undertake that action. As noted, it should our only on rare occasions. The point was raised that the adoption of the rules is made upon only a simple majority vote, which could be used to change the rule requiring a 2/3 vote to suspend the rules if a 2/3 vote was unattainable. For that reason,, it may be appropriate that the Council rules be adopted and amended only with a 2/3 vote as well.