Fiscal Note
No City appropriation required.
Title
Amending Sections 2.04(1) and 2.29 of the Madison General Ordinances to Change the Order of Business and Procedures for Registered Speakers.
Body
DRAFTER’S ANALYSIS: This ordinance changes the order of business for Common Council meetings and the procedures for registered speakers at Council meetings.
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The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
1. Subsection (1) of Section 2.04 entitled “Order of Business” of the Madison General Ordinances is amended as follows:
“2.04 - ORDER OF BUSINESS.
(1) At all stated meetings, the following order shall be observed in disposing of business before the Council:
(a) Opening remarks.
(b) Suspension of rules.
(cb) Honoring resolutions.
(dc) Early Public Comment. Presentation of consent agenda.
(ed) Public Comment and Public Hearings on any items on the agenda as a special order at 6:45 p.m.
(e) Petitions.
(f) Communications.
(g) Modification of prior Common Council proceedings (upon request of a Common Council member).
(h) Presentation of consent agenda as special order at 6:45 p.m.
(i) Public hearings as special order at 6:45 p.m.
(jh) Informational hearings as special order immediately following public hearings.
(ki) Business presented by the Mayor, including appointments and confirmations.
(lj) Business presented by the President of the Common Council.
(mk) Reports of officers, departments and divisions, committees, boards and commissions presented in continuous rotation, alphabetically, including re-referrals according to the provisions of Sec. 2.05(1).
(nl) Ordinances and resolutions referred to this meeting and not included in sub. (1)(lj).
(om) Introduction of new ordinances and resolutions for referral without debate.
(pn) Presentation of accounts and other claims against the City of Madison.
(qo) Late items and addenda.
(rp) Announcements and introduction of items from the floor.
(sq) Any items for closed session.
(tr) Adjournment.”
2. Section 2.29 entitled “Persons’ Right to Address Common Council” of the Madison General Ordinances is amended as follows:
“2.29 - PERSONS' RIGHT TO ADDRESS COMMON COUNCIL.
(1) Except as hereinafter set forth, any person shall have the right to speak address the Council during the Public Comment and Public Hearing period on any item of business that is on the agenda for Common Council action if he/she they registers to speak on that item before the item comes up for action prior to the completion of the public comment period for that item. Registration shall indicate the person's address. Public comments shall be received on items in the same order as listed on the agenda.
(2) Notwithstanding sub. (1) above, any item of business that has no registrants prior to the start of the meeting may be included on the consent agenda. No public comment will be taken on consent agenda items after the Council has acted on the consent agenda.
(23) Except for informational and public hearings, speakers registrants shall be limited to a three-minute address unless the Common Council agrees by a two-thirds (⅔) vote to extend the time. Following the completion of public comments for each item, Alders may ask questions of registrants for that item.
(34) A speaker registrant who requires an interpreter, either because of his/her limited English proficiency or because of a disability, may speak address the Council for six (6) minutes.
(45) No person shall be permitted to speak address the Council on any matter when first introduced before the Common Council when the matter is scheduled to be referred and reported back at a later meeting.
(5) No person shall submit a registration or appearance form for any meeting unless that person actually attends some portion of the meeting at which the registration or appearance is submitted, or personally delivers the form at the place of the meeting within thirty (30) minutes of the scheduled starting time of the meeting. This limitation does not apply to any person who is eligible to register with the City Clerk for automatic absentee balloting under Wis. Stat. § 6.86(2)(a).
(6) The Council shall provide an Early Public Comment period at each Council meeting, prior to consideration of the consent agenda. Persons who have reasons to leave the Council meeting early, due to health, scheduling or child-care needs, may speak to any agenda item at that time. The Council shall pose questions to such early speakers before moving to the Consent Agenda.”