Town Council Rules for the Conduct of Meetings and General Business

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MOUNTAIN VILLAGE TOWN COUNCIL

Rules for the Conduct of Meetings and General Business
Revised February 2022

I. Conduct

 Council is expected to uphold a high standard of civility toward each other and to abide by the Town’s Code of Ethics.
 Civility is expected between Council and the public, and among members of the public while in meetings; rude behavior will not
be tolerated.
 All participants in Council meetings are to refrain from profanity.
 Robert’s Rules of Order shall generally govern the conduct of meetings, but no action shall be invalidated for lack of strict
compliance.
 Council is to strive for brevity and to avoid redundancy and will encourage the same of the public.
 The Mayor is charged with the primary role of enforcing Council’s rules of conduct. Council is also encouraged to courteously
ask each other to refrain from inappropriate behavior if it occurs (that is, Council can “call” each other on inappropriate behavior
to reinforce the ethic of the group as a whole or to support the Mayor’s efforts to achieve the same effect).
 Council members are encouraged to speak with staff if they have questions or objections to recommendations coming before
the body. Discussions between Council members regarding Town business shall at all times comply with the Colorado
Open Meetings Law.
 Cell phones should be turned off during meetings and only if absolutely necessary left on in silenced mode. In a quasi-judicial
hearing, cell phones must remain off.
 Council is expected to refrain from sidebar conversations to the extent possible so as not to detract from another speaker

II. Setting the Town Council Agenda

 The Mayor sets the agenda.
 Council members wishing to add an item to the agenda should contact the Mayor by the agenda deadline which is noon two
weeks prior to the meeting date. Council members desiring to amend the agenda during the meeting for the purpose of adding
an item shall first consult with the Town’s legal counsel to determine the appropriateness of the proposed amendment. If deemed
appropriate by legal counsel, the Council member desiring to amend may do so after being recognized by the Mayor and then
offering the motion to amend the agenda. The Council member so moving shall briefly explain the appropriateness of the
amendment but may not substantively address the item until such time as the Council has considered the motion and approved
it. Motions to amend the agenda require a 2/3 vote of the quorum present. If the motion to amend the agenda is approved, the
item shall then be considered, and action taken, if appropriate. If the motion to amend fails, the issue dies without further
discussion.

III. Public Hearings on Action Items

 Mayor opens public hearing.
 Mayor introduces item (reading the item from the agenda and making any prefatory remarks).
 Staff provides report, including brief relevant history of and context for the item.
 Council may pose questions to staff, the Applicant, or members of the public as they address Council. Council members shall
refrain from answering questions, expressing opinions, or stating how they intend to vote until after the public hearing is closed.
 The Applicant may address Council and present exhibits, which shall be included in the record.
 Public Comment is opened.

• The Mayor reads the Public Comment Policy.
• Each member of the public is asked to speak only once.
• The public is asked to refrain from duplicating the comments of others if possible.
• The public is asked to avoid engaging in dialogue with each other or the Applicant but instead to address the Council and
  the audience in general.
• The Mayor may set a time limit (i.e. 2-3 minutes) for each speaker.
• If a member of the public presents any exhibits, copies shall be provided to the Town Clerk and shall be included in the
  record.
   The Applicant may respond to public comments once the public comment period is over.
   The public hearing is closed, or it may be left open and continued to a date certain for further evidence by motion of the Council.
   After the hearing is closed, Council should discuss the matter including the reasons for any proposed decision.
   Council motion is placed on floor and acted on consistent with Robert’s Rules of Order for making and entertaining motions.

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IV. Work sessions

• Work sessions are designed to permit less formal discussion among Council members and the public on issues of importance
to the community. No formal action by Council shall be taken in a work session.
• The Mayor, in his/her discretion may entertain commentary from the public either in the form of a public hearing or in a more
interactive format depending on the topic, number of speakers present and time constraints.
• While no formal action may be taken at work sessions, Council may provide direction to staff for further work or other related
matters.
V. Public Discussion

 Public Discussion shall not last more than forty-five (45) minutes per council meeting unless otherwise directed by the Mayor.
 Any member of the public wishing to address the Council during public discussion shall first approach the podium and state their
name and address as well as their relation to the topic of discussion for the record and then proceed to make their comments. If
any member of the public claims to represent one or more persons, they shall, after making an introduction and prior to making
comments, disclose who they represent and state the name and address of the person or persons so represented.
 Public comment by members of the public is not designed for interactive dialogue between the Council and the public but is
designed for members of the public to make a public statement of position. Consequently, members of the public shall make
their statement of position known to the Council without an expectation of a response from Council.
 Members of the public will be asked to speak only once on the topic unless additional comments are approved by the Mayor
and/or Council. If a member of the public would like to ask a question of Council, they must first request permission of the
Mayor to do so. If the Mayor consents, members of the public shall be allowed a three (3) minute maximum for questions and
Council’s response unless otherwise directed by the Mayor. If more than three (3) minutes is necessary, an appointment with
a Council member or staff should be scheduled.
 No personal attacks or arguments.
 No grandstanding for the audience.
 People speaking on the same issue will be asked to refrain from redundancy.

VI. Flow of Information

Information requests from Town Council to staff:
 For minor or readily available information from Town Hall (i.e. a copy of an ordinance or minutes to a meeting), Council should
ask the Town Manager for assistance and will be provided the item without further ado.
 Council should refrain from making individual requests for information from staff other than through the Town Manager.
 Council, except through the Mayor or Town Manager, should refrain from instructing or requesting an individual staff member
to perform any task.
 For items that require substantial research, analysis or compilation of information not readily available, requests should be made
to the Town Manager. Staff, at the Town Manager’s direction, will undertake the task and provide the information requested if it
is reasonable in terms of time. Information so provided will be copied to all Council members. If the Town Manager believes the
request for research or analysis is too onerous to be coming from one member of Council or has concerns regarding its
appropriateness, she will bring the matter before the full Council to determine if there is agreement that the task should be
undertaken.

Information going to Council:
 Mail addressed to individual Council members is held by the Town Clerk and given to Council members on meeting days.
 Mail that is time sensitive or emails received by staff will be forwarded via email to Council.
 If an email is sent from Staff to the entire Council, Council members may respond directly to Staff but shall not “reply all” to other
Council members

VII. Appointments to Boards and Commissions

See Attached Policy

VIII. Intergovernmental Meetings

The purpose of these gatherings is to provide a forum for informal dialogue between local governments. If items are not controversial
and can be administratively implemented the relevant parties may simply take action as a result of discussion. If an issue has more of
a policy or legislative nature the elected officials use this forum to gather input for subsequent consideration through their respective
public hearing decision-making processes.

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 Participating San Miguel local governments staff take turns preparing a draft agenda for comment.
 Town staff will circulate the draft agenda to Council members.
 Council members wishing to add items to these agendas should contact the Town Clerk, who will in turn advise the appropriate
entity.
 Council members are encouraged to use this forum more proactively to discuss issues and ideas with the other entities.

IX. REMOTE ATTENDANCE OF MEETINGS POLICY IMPLEMENTED APRIL 2011 AND REVISED FEBRUARY 2022

• Council members attending a meeting remotely will be allowed to participate and vote.
• Council members may attend an Executive Session remotely only through a secure phone line or a secure
video meeting platform such as Zoom, WebEx, Microsoft Teams, etc. as determined by Town Staff.
• Council members attending remotely shall ensure that no unauthorized person is in the room with them or
able to view or listen to any Executive Session.
• Council Members who miss a meeting have a responsibility to “catch up” by listening to the audio recording
or viewing the video recording of the meeting.
• Questions may be sent in advance to staff or to the Town Attorney by email during a meeting.

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APPOINTED POSITIONS

For all positions appointed and filled by Town Council the following policy shall be followed:

1. Clerk’s Office - Review the board and commission spreadsheet for any term expirations.
2. Designated staff as set forth below will notify current members via phone call and written correspondence of the end of
   their term immediately following the Council meeting where the term expiration was discussed.
   a. Ethics Commission – Town Clerk
   b. Design Review Board – Planning and Development Services
   c. Town Council – Town Clerk
   d. TRAA – Town Clerk
   e. CFA – Town Clerk
   f. Board of Appeals – Planning and Development Services
   g. Grant Committee – Town Clerk
   h. Green Team Committee – Business Development and Sustainability Director/Town Clerk
3. Once notification of the incumbents is complete, advertise the open positions by posting on the website until the deadline
   for letters of interest and send out an e-mail blast. E- mail changes and vacancies to the Marketing and Communication
   Coordinator for the website posting and email blast.
4. Require candidates to provide a letter of interest and a bio, both of which must be submitted no later than the
   day prior to the Council packet deadline at 5:00 p.m. for the meeting at which appointments will be made.
5. When a letter of interest is received for any seat the Clerk or designee will check their qualifications to ensure they
   are eligible for that seat.
6. Appointments are placed on the Council agenda after the advertised deadline has expired. If fewer than two applicants
   are received a re-advertisement of the vacancy may be recommended, but not required.
7. Notify candidates that Council appointments will take place at the Council meeting following the above deadline.
   All departments must notify the Town Clerk of designated terms for members as well as titles (such as Chairman, Secretary,
   etc.) to include in the overall schedule maintained by the Clerk.
   The exception to this policy is for Town Council members and staff serving on advisory committees (i.e. finance committee,
   transportation committee, etc.) which appointments are made in the course of Town Council meetings by Council action.

AFTER THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING AND SEAT APPOINTMENTS ARE MADE

1. Notify applicants of appointments by e-mail. Verify the new term dates.
2. If the applicant has not served on a commission before, send them a copy of the current ethics code.
3. Update board and commission spreadsheet. Email the staff person of the board with contact information of the new
   board member. Redistribute the spreadsheet to staff as necessary.

ADDITIONAL COUNCIL OPTIONS

1. The Mayor may elect to re-advertise a position if he/ she believes the applicant pool is too limiting for Council.
2. Council members may “move to direct staff to re-advertise the vacancy” in lieu of making an appointment if they believe
   the field is too limited or the public interest would be better served through re-advertisement.
3. Late applications will be brought to Council’s attention by staff to afford Council the opportunity to postpone the appointment
   and extend the deadline if it is believed that postponement would be in the public interest. Walk-in candidates may be given
   similar consideration at Council’s discretion. Late or walk-in applicants may not be appointed at that Council meeting; they
   may only be considered at a subsequent meeting. Council is under no obligation to consider late or walk-in applicants.