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<br />ticipation in City Council meetings is a key responsibility of City <br />Councilmembers. <br /> <br />3. Calling Special Meetings <br />A rare exception to this rule that the Council acts as a group involves <br />calling special meetings. Under Minnesota state law, the Mayor alone <br />or any two Councilmembers can call a special City Council meeting; a <br />majority vote of the Council is not required to call a special Council <br />meeting. <br /> <br />4. Personal Advocacy <br />Councilmembers are certainly free to advocate their individual points <br />of view on all Roseville issues. This can include testimony at the Leg- <br />islature, letters to the editor, and work on various metro or state <br />committees. <br /> <br />However, when stating a personal view as an individual Council- <br />member, that Councilmember should make clear that he or she is <br />speaking as an individual Councilmember and not on behalf of the <br />entire City Council as a body. <br /> <br />Similarly, once a majority of the Council have adopted an ordinance <br />or made a decision about a policy matter before the City Council, it is <br />time for that Council to move on to other issues. There is no shortage <br />of policy issues for the Council to address to make Roseville a better <br />place to live, work, and play. But Council bickering over the outcome <br />of past Council decisions undermines public confidence in the Coun- <br />cil in particular and government in general. Wrangling over past de- <br />cisions also impairs the Council's ability as a group to resolve current <br />and future City issues. <br /> <br />5. The City Council Is a Continuing Body <br />It is important to remember that the City Council is a continuing <br />body and the City is a continuing legal entity. Councilmembers and <br /> <br />5 <br />