member while that member is speaking or refuse to obey the orders of the presiding officer or the Council, except
as otherwise provided herein.
A) All Councilmembers have the opportunity to speak and agree to disagree but no Councilmember shall speak
twice on any given subject unless all other Councilmembers have been given the opportunity to speak.
B) The Mayor has the affirmative duty to maintain order. The City Council will honor the role of the Mayor in
maintaining order. If a Councilmember believes the Mayor is not maintaining order, the Councilmember may move
that the Vice-Mayor enforce the rules of decorum and otherwise maintain order. If that motion receives a second
and is approved by a Council majority, the Vice-Mayor shall enforce the rules of decorum and maintain order.
C) Any Councilmember who violates the rules repeatedly shall be sanctioned by the City Council, including, but not
limited to, barring the Councilmember from further participation (other than voting) on the subject.
2) PERSONS ADDRESSING THE CITY COUNCIL
Persons addressing the Council shall not make personal, impertinent, unduly repetitive, slanderous or profane
remarks to the Council, any member of the Council, City staff or the general public, nor utter loud, threatening,
personal or abusive language, nor engage in any other conduct that disrupts, disturbs or otherwise unreasonably
impedes the orderly conduct of the Council meeting. Any person who makes such remarks, who utters loud,
threatening, personal or abusive language, who is unduly repetitious or engages in extended discussion of
irrelevancies, or who engages in any disorderly conduct that disrupts, disturbs or otherwise unreasonably impedes
the orderly conduct of any Council meeting shall, at the discretion of the presiding officer or a majority of the
Council, be barred from further audience before the Council during that meeting.
3) ENFORCEMENT
The rules of decorum set forth above shall be enforced in the following manner:
Warning. The presiding officer shall request that a person who is breaching the rules of decorum be orderly and
silent. If, after receiving a warning from the presiding officer, a person persists in disturbing the meeting, the
presiding officer shall order him or her to leave the Council meeting. If such person does not remove himself or
herself, the presiding officer may order any law enforcement officer who is on duty at the meeting to remove that
person from the Council Chambers.
4) RULES PERTAINING TO SIGNS, OBJECTS, SYMBOLIC MATERIALS, AND FIRE SAFETY WITHIN THE
COUNCIL CHAMBERS DURING COUNCIL MEETINGS
A) Objects and symbolic materials such as signs which do not have sticks attached or otherwise create any fire or
safety hazards will be allowed within the Council Chamber during Council meetings provided that they are not so
large as to infringe upon the space of those in adjacent areas, and are no wider on their longest side than the
audience chairs.
B) Persons with objects and symbolic materials such as signs must remain seated when displaying them except
when making an oral presentation to the Council and must not raise them above shoulder level or otherwise use
them to obstruct vision or passage or disturb the conduct of the Council meeting. Such materials may not be
placed on or against the walls, doors or furniture or in the aisles.
C) Exits shall not be obstructed in any manner. Obstructions, including storage, shall not be placed in aisles or
other exit ways. Hand carried items must be stored so that such items do not inhibit passage in aisles or other exit
ways.
D) Exit ways shall not be used in any way that will present a hazardous condition.
E) Overcrowding and admittance of persons beyond the approved capacity of a place of assembly are prohibited.
F) The Fire Marshal may establish designated areas for media equipment.
5) PERSONS AUTHORIZED WITHIN RAIL
No person except City officials and City staff shall be permitted within the rail in front of the City Council dais
without the express consent of the presiding officer.
