03-08-10 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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LITTLE CANADA CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS CITIZEN PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES Welcome to the Little Canada City Council meeting. To ensure order and assist the public and the Council to participate in the meeting, these guidelines have been adopted by the Council: Council Procedure In general, the Council uses an informal process based on Parliamentary Procedure and Roberts Rules of Order to conduct business. Ordinarily, the Council will address items as they appear on the agenda and pass motions to take official action. Three of the five Council members are required to conduct business and most motions require a simple majority vote of the Council members in attendance. Public Hearings Public hearings are conducted so that the public affected by a proposal may have input into the decision. During hearings, all affected residents will be given an opportunity to speak. After everyone in the audience wishing to speak has had an opportunity, the Council shall close the public hearing. The Council will then discuss and act on the proposal, and no further public comments are allowed. Addressing the Council (both during a Public HearinE and on other Agenda Itemsl Those wishing to speak should approach the podium and speak when recognized by the Mayor. Clearly state your name and address. All remarks should be addressed to the Council as a whole. Ordinarily three minutes will be allowed per speaker. The Mayor may limit speakers if they are repeating points already made, or getting off of the topic. The Mayor may allot additional time if necessary. Speakers are discouraged from distributing information at the meeting. Information should be provided to the Council prior to the meeting through the City Administrator. The Mayor reserves the right to modify these rules as required to effectively chair the meeting. Tonics not on the Council Agenda Generally, the Council will allow citizens to address topics not on the agenda. However, many items can be resolved with staff and the public is encouraged to contact staff prior to attending a Council meeting in an attempt to resolve issues of concern. If an item cannot be discussed within the time allotment noted above, a person should contact staff to be placed on a future agenda. That person should also provide background data for inclusion in the Council's agenda packet for distribution to the Council the Friday preceding the meeting. Your participation, as outlined in these guidelines, is welcomed and your cooperation is greatly appreciated.