Fiscal Note
No expenditure required.
Title
Creating new Section 2.04(2), renumbering current Sections 2.04(2) - (14) to 2.04(3) - (15), respectively, amending Sections 2.19, 2.30 and 3.27(4)(g) of the Madison General Ordinances to modify various rules of procedure for the Common Council and boards, committees, and commissions.
Body
The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
1. New Subsection (2) of Section 2.04 entitled "Order of Business" of the Madison General Ordinances is created to read as follows:
"(2) Approval or modification of prior Common Council proceedings."
2. Current Subsections (2) through (14) of Section 2.04 entitled "Order of Business" of the Madison General Ordinances are renumbered to Subsections (3) through (15), respectively.
3. Section 2.19 entitled "Resolutions or Ordinances Appropriating Funds" of the Madison General Ordinances is amended to read as follows:
"2.19 RESOLUTIONS OR ORDINANCES APPROPRIATING FUNDS.
No appropriation shall be made or voted from any City fund for any purpose except upon an affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of all members of the Common Council, provided, however, that adoption of the annual budget shall be a simple majority vote item."
4. Section 2.30 entitled "Public Hearings" of the Madison General Ordinances is amended to read as follows:
"2.30 PUBLIC HEARINGS. In conducting a public hearing, the Common Council shall allow all interested parties an opportunity to speak on the subject matter of the hearing before submitting questions to any of the speakers. Each speaker is limited to five (5) minutes, unless the Common Council agrees by a 2/3 vote to extend the time, provided, that a speaker who requires an interpreter, either because of his/her limited English proficiency or because of a disability, may speak for ten (10) minutes. At the beginning of the public hearing, the presiding officer shall request all subsequent speakers to remain in the Council Chambers until the conclusion of the public hearing so that they may be available for questioning by the Council members."
4 . Subdivision (g) of Subsection (4) entitled "Officers, Minutes, and Rules of Procedures" of Section 3.27 entitled "Qualifications--City Officers, Members of Commissions, and Employees" of the Madison General Ordinances is amended to read as follows:
"(g) Every board, committee and commission, including committees and subcommittees created under Subsection (4)(c), above, shall establish a period for public comment at or near the beginning of each meeting. The board, committee, or commission shall not take action on a matter raised in the public comment portion of the meeting unless that matter is otherwise on the agenda. Members of the public who comply with applicable rules shall be permitted at least three (3) minutes to speak. If the speaker requires an interpreter, either because of his/her limited English proficiency or because of a disability, he/she shall be allowed no less than six (6) minutes.
This subdivision shall not apply to quasi-judicial hearings on contested matters, nor to deliberations concerning such hearings on contested matters nor to closed sessions of the Ethics Board held for the purpose of hearing and deliberating confidential requests for advisory opinions pursuant to Sec. 3.47(11)(b)."