PRESS RELEASE
For Publication January 30, 2007
City of Kerrville
800 Junction Highway
Kerrville, TX 78028

CITY COUNCIL MEETING RULES AND PROCEDURES

On January 9 the City Council adopted new procedural rules aimed at governing the conduct of council meetings to ensure that meetings are both open to the public and well managed. According to Mayor Gene Smith, “The rules and procedures of City Council meetings were vague in the City Charter and limited in scope in the Code of Ordinances. In fact these documents stated that the Council sets its own rules. The new document details Council meeting procedures and should clarify points of confusion for a small body attempting to comply with Robert’s Rules.”

For the average resident attending Council meetings, they will not see very many changes. The most significant changes for the public will include the following items:

· Meeting Schedule. Regular meetings of the city council will be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

· Placing Items on the Agenda. The deadline to submit items to be placed on the agenda is 5:00 p.m. of the sixth day preceding such meeting (5:00 p.m. Wednesday). The request must be addressed to the city manager in writing and must include all necessary information including what specifically the applicant is asking of Council.

· Public Participation in Council Meetings. Public comment is encouraged during the part of the meeting designated for public participation. Speakers should register in advance and limit their presentation to three minutes. Applicants that have scheduled a matter on the agenda will be allowed ten minutes. Comments must be kept relevant to the subject being considered, and speakers should direct all remarks and questions to the council.

· Visitor/Citizens Forum. The public may address matters that are not scheduled on the agenda; however, the Texas Open Meetings Act prevents the council from considering a subject that has not been properly scheduled and posted, and the maximum number of people that will be allowed to speak under this section will be limited to the first ten people who submit a speakers request form. The presiding officer may limit speakers whose time has expired or whose comments are deemed to be redundant.

· Order of consideration of an agenda item. This process has been modified to provide a better structure that will ensure discussion of an agenda item is orderly, relevant, and that public participation has a defined place in the process.

A complete copy of the procedural rules and an agenda item request form can be obtained by contacting City Clerk Brenda Craig at 792-8302. The rules and the form to request an agenda item can also be found on the city’s web page under the City Council section at http://www.kerrville.org/index.asp?nid524